The Azure Skies
by paomayo
Summary: As the conflict between the two powers rages on, Yorktown became a casualty over Midway. Little did she know that she was heading for another...
1. Prologue - Into Darkness

All trademarks, properties and copyrights associated with the manufacturers, models, trade names, entertainment and brands depicted in this fanfic are the property of their respective owners.

 **XXXXXXX**

Darkness…

For the Eagle Union, it was a dire time. For a while, the once-dormant Sakura Empire was thought to be unstoppable as they conquered lands near and far, taking control of much-needed resources for her hungry industrial base and cementing her position as a world power. In an attempt to keep the Eagles out of the seas, they launched attacks to weaken their hold, first by launching a surprise assault on Pearl Harbor - taking away a percentage of her men and machine from the physical realm. With that, the war in the Pacific begun.

However, with determination and some luck, the Eagles began to fight back alongside her allies. Using their remaining resources, they slowly began to eat away the Empire's military reach with important battles, one at the Coral Sea and another during an air raid on their home soil, proving that they were not ready to go down without a fight.

But these were deemed not enough to turn the tide, culminating in the decisive Battle of Midway. Both sides throw their available assets against each other in an event that would decide the fate of the war.

In the end, the Eagles were the victors… but not without casualties.

USS Yorktown - beloved by many, the motherly figure of her sisters Enterprise and Hornet, the light of hope and goodness - sank.

It was a shock to her fellow shipgirls just as they thought that they could go home in celebration. They tried their best to save her, but all efforts were in vain. Knowing that her time was up in the world, she gave her eagle - the "God of Death" - to Enterprise for safekeeping and told her to fight on.

As her descent into the cold depths continued, she reminisced of her time together with the other girls. The tearful hug she received from her younger sister comforted her. One day, she belived that the fighting will eventually end and that humanity will live peacefully once again.

Hours after the battle, she was gone from sight, never to return.

The light from the sun slowly faded from view. It was all darkness. Yorktown drifted towards the seafloor where she was laid to rest.

 **XXXXXXX**

Then, out of nowhere, an unknown noise touched her ears. She struggled to open her eyes to see something despite the darkness. As if by fate, she noticed a shining bright light on her left.

" _...What is that…?"_

It took her just a few moments to attempt some identification before her eyes were engulfed by the light. Her vision then blacked out.

The next thing she heard was more noises, only this time it was much louder and with a thundering roar. Thrown in were the faint voices of people talking around her.

"...She's on board..." One uttered in a female voice.

"...This is Wasp 1-2, we have the girl onboard. I repeat, we have… ...girl onboard. Returning to base now..." Another followed.

Attempting to communicate, Yorktown mustered all of her remaining energy. Her eyes were barely opened and her voice was shallow.

"...Who… are… you…?"

"...Ma'am, can you hear us? We're bringing you to…." The same female voice called upon her.

Almost immediately after, her sight, hearing and voice disappeared. Everything drifted away from her again.

When her eyes barely opened for the second time, Yorktown could see something big in front of her. It was a grey object with something on its top spinning at an incredibly fast rate. As well, men wearing some kind of green clothing and grey helmets on their heads were beside her, all bringing her somewhere.

Most important was the sky. It was lit in the colors of the morning sun and filled with its gentle warmth, not like what she felt during that fateful day at Midway.

Despite these sights and feelings, it was to be brief, for she would not be able to fully wake up for a while to see what was truly going on.

One question lingered around Yorktown. Where was she taken to?


	2. Chapter 1 - Unknown Contacts

**(Above the Atlantic Ocean - February 8, 2027)**

For a moment, everyone thought that the unknown contacts would return home to their base of origin and peacefully go on with their lives. Instead, it suddenly devolved into a dogfight.

Three jet fighters of the Osean Maritime Defense Force's Strike Fighter Squadron 247 (VFA-247) were on the defensive as they attempted to shoot down three aircraft of unknown origin that opened fire upon them minutes after their detection by radar. Compared to their single-engined F-35C Lightning II multirole fighters, their opponents do not match those of any existing designs thanks to their large bodies and short forward-swept wings.

One pilot was tracking his target via the helmet. It was pulling upwards in an attempt to perform an evasive loop. A lock was attained by the Osean, and he aligned his plane for a good launch.

"Fox 2!" He shouted. The missile was launched, and it quickly tracked his target. When it got very close, the warhead detonated, causing the enemy to burst into flames. "Splash one!"

"Good, I'm getting cheesed over here!" A fellow female wingman shouted as she was being shot by gunfire.

"Hang on, Vale, I'm coming." He proceeded to aid his friend.

Vale was caught in a moment where her opponent was chasing her plane. They both had the same maneuverability, making things equal for both parties, but the unknown craft took the advantageous position.

Suddenly, some bullets struck her left wing. Fuel was leaking from her plane. Beeping frantically erupted within her cockpit.

"Shit, I'm hit!" She frantically uttered.

"I got this guy." The male pilot assured her when he closed in on the target. A lock was quickly attained. "Fox 2, Fox 2!"

The missile was fired, and it began to track its target. In conjunction with its evasive maneuvers, it delpoyed flares in an attempt to shake the missile off its tail. It did just that, ticking the Osean pilot off.

"Missed… switching to guns!" He switched to his centerline gun pods. With the reticule aimed at the aircraft, he fired a burst. Some of the bullets hit the fuselage - causing smoke to come out from the holes - though they were not enough to take it down. Another burst was fired, but it missed. More were fired, and the last one caused a fire to break out within his target's airframe. "Got him!"

"Thanks, Flint. I owe you one." Vale responded in gratitude.

"How's your plane?"

"Got some leaking fuel, but I still have control." It was the news both wanted to hear.

While this was going on, their flight leader scored a kill on its own.

"Reaper 1 here - I bagged a kill." He confirmed. "Is anyone all right?"

"We're okay. My left wing's hit and leaking fuel, but still holding on." Vale reported.

"Copy that. Glad that you're all safe." As two wingmen were regrouping with their flight leader for the journey home, he quickly began to radio the carrier OFS _Altair_. "Reaper Squadron to Altair, all contacts eliminated. Be advised - Reaper 3's hit and has a fuel leak on her port wing, but still has control."

"Solid copy, Reapers." The carrier responded. "Carrier and SAR are on standby. Maintain current course, out."

"Wilco." Reaper 1 finished the transmission.

But the fragile peace was not to last. Almost immediately, the radio beeped up again.

"Reaper Squadron - be advised." A sudden radio message was sent. "You have an unknown surface contact appearing on the nose. Repeat - unknown surface contact appearing on the nose."

A state of disbelief caught all members of the flight.

"What… now!?" Vale uttered.

"Break, break!" Reaper 1 ordered. The flight broke off and turned their radar mode to sea-surface search to detect the contact, which they located immediately after. Following that, they started to attempt visual identification. Vale, for her part, continued with her flight home to save her aircraft.

"See anything?" Reaper 3 asked.

"Negative, it's just ocean." The commander replied with frustration. "Dammit."

Just as frustation continued to grow, Flint could get a faint glimpse of something floating on the water. He lowered his throttle to slow his plane down and his altitude to get a closer look.

"Sir, I think I'm seeing something… It looks like someone's down there."

"Reaper 2, repeat that message. Someone's down there?" Reaper 1 requested.

"...Yes, sir. Someone's down there."

More questions were raised. Was that "someone" responsible for the blip on everyone's radar? The only way to be certain was to send a helicopter rescue team to the site, but Flint was quite certain of the conclusion after loitering around for a while.

"Yeah. That's a person right there." He began to relay the findings to the _Altair_. "Reaper 2 to Altair - it looks like we have a person on the water. Repeat - we have a person on water. He may be the one responsible for the sudden contact, over."

"Altair to Reaper Squadron. Confirm your finding, over?" The carrier requested.

Reaper 1, following what Flint did, could see the mysterious figure on the water as well, removing much of the doubt.

"Reaper 1 to Altair, we confirm. Someone's on the water - requesting SAR."

"Copy, Reaper 1. We'll send SAR. Remain on standby over the AO - ETA 30 minutes, over."

As one problem faded away, another would take its place.

 **XXXXXXX**

A single MH-9S rescue helicopter was sent to the location of the unknown person. With conditions for both the sky and the sea favorable, the rescue unit could get him out with relative ease.

"I have visual." The pilot of the aircraft confirmed. The small flock of seagulls loitering around the person made things easier in terms of spotting. He quickly opened radio communication with the fleet. "This is Wasp 1-2, we have visual on the stranded person at sea. Moving in."

With that out of the way, he turned his attention to the navy aviation rescue swimmer on board the helicopter.

"Liz, get ready!"

"Copy!" The rescue swimmer responded. Equipped with a snorkel, a wetsuit, and a pair of flippers - all in black - she waited at the right side while awaiting the signal.

When the helicopter got close, what they saw surprised them.

"What the hell…" A low-key voice came from the co-pilot.

Stranded on the water was a woman, and there are things about her that were unusual. For one, her hair was as silver as the glitters. Her soaked and damaged clothing consisted of a two-piece blouse in white and blue, a navy coat, a pantyhose, and blue heels. A blue boutonnière on the right lapel of her jacket and an armband on her right arm featuring a star over a blue circle and red-and-white stripes provided the finishing touches.

However, those paled in comparison to what she was wearing behind her back and heels. A rig featuring a motif inspired by the aircraft carriers of the past was the dominant feature. On her left was the 'island,' and on the right was a miniaturized flight deck - complete with anti-aircraft weaponry. Decorating each end of the latter were the letters 'YKTN,' emblazoned in yellow.

"Just what was she doing here with all these…?" Liz uttered before clearing those thoughts out. "...Alright, let's get her out of here."

The mission proceeded despite the unexpected discovery, and the rescue hoist lowered Liz onto the girl. The lower part of her body was quickly being soaked in water. From there, she began to think on how to make the rescue operation work with the rig in her way.

"Ma'am, can you hear me?" Liz attempted to wake her up. "Ma'am, can you hear me?"

Nothing came from the woman. The rescuer signaled to her team that she was not waking up.

Instead, Liz decided to free her from the rig. Much to her surprise, it felt light enough to move, allowing Liz to raise the woman's lower back from the water. There, she started looking for a mechanism to release the rig from the back.

"Come on, where is it?"

After a frustrating moment, she found a button. It was pressed.

The rig separated from the woman, putting her into a free-floating state. Relieved, Liz approached the girl and brought her into the rescuer's arms securely. The other members on-board the helicopter sighed even before the rescuer signaled them to bring the pair up.

With not further problems, the hoist brought them on-board.

"She's on board." Liz confirmed. The rescued woman started to receive first aid in an effort to stabilize her condition. "Let's go."

"Roger." Wasp 1-2 began the flight home. He opened radio communication to relay the news to the fleet. "This is Wasp 1-2, we have the girl onboard. I repeat, we have the girl onboard. Returning to base now."

Then...

"...Who… are… you…?" A shallow voice came from the woman.

Liz and her fellow members were surprised by her calll. Her heavy eyelids were trying to open fully.

"Ma'am, can you hear us? We're bringing you to the carrier Altair for medical treatment. Just hold on." The rescuer replied with assurance.

Instead, the woman passed out.

The day became a weird time for the Osean fleet. First was the unidentified bandits, and the other was the appearance of a mysterious woman with an unusual rig behind her back. For the servicemen who were in these two events, all they could do was wonder.


	3. Chapter 2 - Altair

The roar of engines and the thunderous gunfire echoed around the air.

The Battle of Midway was tipping in favor of the Eagle Union, scoring comfirmed kills against the Sakura Empire's fleet - four of which being her prized carriers. It seemed as though things would turn out alright for the Eagles.

However, three D3A 'Val' divebombers from the carrier Hiryuu were on their final attack approach as part of a last-minute act of revenge from her and her fallen comrades. All were heading for Yorktown. Her AA guns gave everything they had in their attempt to intercept the bandits.

"Ahh!"

Alas, all were in vain. The bombers scored hits on her, sending her body down to splash the surface of the water.

"Yorktown!" Various shipgirls cried out over the radio.

"Big Sis!" The one who said that was her younger sister Enterprise. Her tone became that of a heartbreak.

Despite the damage the bombs did to her, Yorktown was not out of the fight. She could afford to return back to the safety of the Eagle's frontlines by jettisoning non-essential equipment and making careful maneuvers.

"Hold on, Hammann's coming for you!" The reply from an Eagle destroyer attempting to help raised her spirits a little.

As she continued to lumber for home, her feet collapsed. Yorktown fell to the water, but - feeling determined - she got up again.

Suddenly, her vision began to blacken. Everything around her, including her hearing, was disappearing. Her strength was suddenly taken away as well.

"Big sister!" The faint voice of Hammann could be heard.

"Hammann…!"

 **XXXXXXX**

"Mngh!"

Yorktown suddenly woke herself up and began panting. It appeared to her that she had experienced a nightmare about that fateful day.

"Ma'am!" A person quickly came for her while showing signs of relief. What got Yorktown's attention was her uniform. It was camouflaged in a myriad of marine camouflage colors. On the right of her uniform laid the name "O'Hara" - emblazoned in bright yellow. The left featured the letters "O.M.D.F." in the same color. "Are you alright?"

"Yes… It's just a nightmare…" The shipgirl answered. Coughing followed.

"Hold on, I have some water." O'Hara quickly provided her with a glass of warm water. Yorktown received it and took some sips.

"...Thank you." Feeling relaxed, the girl showed appreciation as she gave the glass back. The woman beside her felt the same.

Then, something hit Yorktown. She noticed that something was attached to her left hand. A long tube ran from it towards something beside her left. There, hanging from a metal stand was a bag containing clear fluids. But that was not all - upon closer inspection, she was not even wearing her usual uniform, only a medical gown.

Finally, the room where she was in - compared to the hospital back on her base, it was much more advanced, featuring various items not familiar to her. The only thing that she could identify was the familiar green canister for the storage of medical oxygen.

Whatever the case, Yorktown believed that she was rescued. But who or what fleet did that?

"Where am I?" A question was raised.

"You're on board the Osean aircraft carrier Altair for recovery."

"'Oh-see-an aircraft carrier?'" The shipgirl uttered with the first word being quite a mouthful.

"Correct. You were the only person on the water when we found you."

"I see..." Suddenly, Yorktown sensed that something was off. "Oh-see-an, Oh-sean, Oh-sean… I never heard of a country with that name before."

"Come again?" O'Hara requested.

"Where exactly am I?"

"The Atlantic Ocean." The woman answered.

"Atlantic?!" Yorktown could not belive what O'Hara answered. "That's impossible. I was at Midway, fighting the Sakura Empire before I took bomb hits. But how did I end up here?"

"Ma'am, you just need to calm down. We don't…"

"Do you have a map?" The request cut O'Hara short of her response. It was unusual for Yorktown to act quite desperate. "I just want to confirm for myself."

It took a moment for a reply to be aired.

"...Yes, we have. I'll bring them here."

"Thank you." Hoping to calm the girl's nerves, the older woman left to fetch a map.

All Yorktown could do was just wait within her bed. For her, time was passing slowly as O'Hara was unable to return with a map. Coughing returned for a moment, making Yorktown fetch the cup from the table to calm it down once again.

Finally, O'Hara returned with a map on hand. "Here you go. I have the map."

It was unrolled. What Yorktown saw shocked her to the core.

"Ah!?"

The map showcased the world, but unlike her familiar home, almost every area was wildly different in both size and shape - from the land to the sea. What was more, each contained the nations and their names. The most noticeable was the country with the name 'Osea.' This confirmed that she was on board a warship from that nation.

"So… I'm in another world...?" Tears began to form from her eyes.

O'Hara could finally figure out that she was not from her world just by looking and hearing what she said.

"I'm sorry..." She apologized and offered to comfort Yorktown.

With regret, the shipgirl started crying.

 **XXXXXXX**

Sometime had passed.

Yorktown was fully recovered, but she had nowhere to go since she was in another world. The needle-attached tube on her hand was removed, replaced with a bandage to cover the spot. Due to the damage on her old clothes, she was given a replacement - a plain white t-shirt and a pair of pants featuring the same camouflage as O'Hara's uniform.

For the time being, she was redirected to one of the ship's quiet rooms where she would meet with the commander of the vessel.

"Yorktown, the commander of the ship would like to see you." O'Hara informed her, using the name of the shipgirl before turing around. "Sir, you may enter."

"Thank you, Lieutenant." An older male's voice responded.

The shipgirl turned her eyes to the doorway. There, she could a man in his late 50s entering. Unlike O'Hara, he was wearing the more traditional khaki uniform and a cap featuring the two terms "OFS Altair" and "CVN-41." Sandwiched in the middle was the impression of a ship resembling an aircraft carrier.

The door then closed. A private conversation was about to begin.

"Are you alright, ma'am?" A question from the man was aired.

"Yes. Yes, I am." Yorktown answered.

A brief pause was taken as the man took a seat beside her. "Look... I'm sorry if everything you know before is not here with you anymore. We just don't want you to suffer much longer when we saw you floating on the ocean. It's the least we could do."

Yorktown's emotional wounds slightly opened up upon hearing his words. "I appreciate your crew's efforts, sir. Right now, I really don't have anywhere else to go since I'm here."

"Speaking of which, Lieutenant O'Hara told me that you are from another world where a war was raging before you came here. Is that true?"

"That's correct. In my world, I come from the Eagle Union, a nation that values freedom and friendship among all else. We are part of the Azur Lane military alliance - dedicated to retaking our oceans from a mysterious enemy." She explained.

"A mysterious enemy?" The officer was intrigued.

"We call them the 'Sirens.' Their technology is unlike anything we have ever encountered. Well… to me and many others, I was born because of that."

The admission surprised the man. Fearing that something worrying could happen, he had some ideas.

"Uh, I think we should continue this at my cabin. I can't let everyone else onboard hear it." He stood up before beginning to lead Yorktown. "Follow me."

The girl agreed and stood up. For the first time, she could leave the perimeters of the medical bay.

Upon exiting the room, the sights changed. Covering the walls and ceilings of the hallways were lines of piping, each of which color-coded to their assigned purposes.

"By the way, I'm Theodore Steuben - captain of the Altair." He introduced himself.

"I'm Yorktown." The shipgirl followed.

"Just Yorktown? Last name?"

"I don't have a last name, to be honest."

Except for a few spots, the corridors remained narrow as they continued with their walk. They politely passed through numerous working men and women, most of which doing the same for their duties. Some even saluted out of respect upon seeing the captain passing by. They were even harboring questions regarding a girl with silver hair upon seeing her.

After a short while, they entered the captain's cabin. Everything inside was quite posh, as expected for captain's of most vessels. Decorated within the confines of the navy blue walls and white trim were numerous memorabilia - pictures, slogans, among others. On one part of the room laid a large flag encased in glass - featuring a two-tone desing of white over blue. On the foreground were six stars, three for each color. A smaller one was dotted near the white part's right star.

"Take a seat, Yorktown." Steuben offered.

"Thank you, sir." Yorktown replied as she continued looking around.

The shipgirl then caught something interesting on the sofa - on the white pillow was an aircraft carrier of some kind. Compared to those back on her world, it featured more angular shaping within the flight deck, and its island was placed further back within the stern. What was more intriguing was the lack of a visible smokestack. Painted on the bow was the hull number 41.

"The ship… I don't see a smokestack here."

"Coal here has been replaced by oil and other sources of energy, even on ships. Ours uses nuclear fuel to power everything." Steuben answered, causing Yorktown to wonder.

"'Nu-clear fuel?' What is that?"

"It undergoes a process called fission that splits its atoms into smaller ones, creating energy. The best thing is that it takes way longer for the ship to run out of them, giving us the ability to head for any part of the world without refuelling many times over." An easy-to-understand explanation was given.

"Amazing." Yorktown uttered. "How long do you think this would last?"

"Twenty years."

"That's a very long time. I wish I could have that ability."

"What did you say?" The captain asked upon hearing the last sentence.

"Sir, I wish I could have the ability to stay longer in the seas using that 'nuclear fuel.'" She reiterated.

"That stuff is dangerous if not properly contained. You would die of radiation poisoning." He then switched topics to the more important one. "Speaking of which, about you being a product of 'Siren' tech… I'm curious."

"Oh, right." The shipgirl remembered and took a seat. "Humanity discovered the potential of much of their technology and created us - shipgirls - to fight them."

"Shipgirls…?" Steuben responded in confusion. "So basically girls as warships - even using naval weaponry?"

"Yes. I am the lead aircraft carrier of the Yorktown-class. I also have younger sisters."

The captain was surprised to hear what Yorktown said. A girl who was the anthropomorphization of a ship sounds silly to untrained minds.

" _Tell me this ain't real…"_ He returned to his prior composure. "You're serious?"

"I am serious." She replied. "That's the truth. Everyone knows about us, even the civilians."

With that, Steuben's mind was quite overloaded with words that required a lot of processing. Feeling stressed, his right hand was on the right side of his forehead.

"Did I offend you, sir?"

It took a while for the captain to regain much of his composure. "I'm fine. I couldn't exactly believe what you just said. You don't need to feel guilty about it."

Yorktown calmed down a bit.

"By the way... that rig you wore before we found you…"

 **XXXXXXX**

After the talks, the captain guided her to the outside where she would witness the day-to-day operations of the _Altair_. It was almost evening, evident by the orange hues behind the clouds. What she did not expect was the myriad of planes on the huge flight deck.

Compared to all of her world's aircraft, every one of them on the ship was devoid of any propellers. Instead, a solid nose cone took their place. What was even more surprising to her were the openings in between the aircraft's pairs of fins - many have two of them while the rest have only one. They were even encased in dark metal.

"Are those even planes, sir?" Yorktown wondered.

"They're still planes, Yorktown." Steuben responded.

"Back in my world, our planes have propellers to make them fly. But those here don't have any."

"Well, propellers are replaced by jet engines. Even the civilian sector embraces it."

"How do they work, sir?"

"They work by compressing the incoming air and mixing it with fuel. Once ignited, the mixture is shot out from the back of the nozzles like that one over there." Steuben explained as he pointed at one with two rear openings. "You see those openings? That's where the mixture is shot out, creating thrust to move the plane forward. And compared to propellers, they fly way faster - even past the sound barrier."

The last sentence intrigued the girl. "Sound barrier? I thought that it could not be overcome."

"You just need an aerodynamic body and some good engines. Fly past that, the plane will experience sudden increase in aerodynamic drag and other effects. The important signs to comfirm it are that you will hear a boom unlike that of an explosive and you see puffs of white vapor forming around the plane."

"Theoretically, planes could arrive at the battlefield faster, yes?"

"Supposedly. Then again, most countries here field supersonic planes, so I would say fair game."

With that, Steuben turned his head to see the surroundings. On his left, he found something, a plane making an approach.

"Yorktown, look there to your left." The girl agreed and saw the incoming plane. She was filled with wonder.

"It's landing..." She uttered.

The plane descended from the sky. Its landing gear, flaps and arresting hook were deployed, and lights were tuned on for visibility. As it got closer, an unusual roar echoed around her, putting it in front of the other noises in the background.

Moments later, the plane touched down. Yorktown caught a glimpse of its greyish airframe and bubble canopy. She could even see the heat waves from the back of the plane. To her, what Steuben said was true.

"That plane… what is that?"

"That's an F-35 Lightning. Among the most advanced planes we currently field."

Yorktown felt like she could stay and continue looking.

 **(Somewhere in Osea - February 16, 2027)**

In a large room, the installation's personnel were scanning for possible threats near and far - from the land to the sea. With various tools at their disposal, they were the eyes and ears of the Osean military and her allies.

As the day continued, something unexpected was caught by satellite. An unknown formation was growing east of the Atlantic Ocean. The person operating the computer began to call his superior.

"Sir, you might want to see this." His voice was heard by the officer, bringing him to the monitor

"What is it?" He asked before being directed to the screen. What he saw surprised him. "My God…"

With that, a new chapter began to unfold.


	4. Chapter 3 - Through Uncharted Waters

_**Note: As**_ **Ace Combat 7** _ **is already released, there might be spoilers for the game, so play it first before reading. Thanks.**_

 **XXXXXXX**

 **(OFS** _ **Altair**_ **\- February 15, 2027)**

It was night time, and for some personnel, it was time to rest up for tomorrow. For one pilot, however, he needed to make a call first to check on his family back home.

That person was Reaper Squadron's number two, 26-year-old Lieutenant Benjamin Fletcher - sporting short, brown hair and facial features that were passed down from his Erusean ancestors.

He took one of the vacant satellite phone kiosks and dialed a number to his older brother, who was working in the city of November for a worldwide company. For a brief moment, no one answered the call.

"Hello?" A voice came.

"Dan, ya hear me?" The pilot lighthearted responded.

"Oh, little bro…" A chuckle came. "Ya got me."

"Just checking on you back home. Got anything new today?"

"Well, it was quite hectic: handled an emergency meeting, one hell of a traffic jam just a while ago… It was quite a ride."

"You mean that accident at Amer Avenue?" He brought out the incident. "I just saw that at the news."

"Yeah, that one. Quite nasty, I must say." Dan affirmed. "Heard that the guy in that red Kamata was acting weird before crashing. Hey Ben, what about your end?"

"Ah, nothing unusual. Just the drills and stuff."

"A'ight. You take care of yourself, okay?"

"I will. See ya." The handset was withdrawn and returned. Benjamin began his return to his assigned berthing compartment.

Despite the current time, the ship's corridor contained some traffic of sailors. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, the carrier and her fleet were always on alert for even the slightest signs of unknown contacts that could be encroaching on their position, such as the incident that Ben and his fellow squadmates experienced seven days ago.

As he was starting to cross an intersection, two people were about to do the same. It was Captain Steuben and, interestingly, a girl. The latter sported several unusual features - silver hair, blue eyes, and a somewhat busty chest. Regardless, when he saw the pair, he immediately stopped in respect to the former.

"Sir." Upon hearing the word, the captain stopped and turned to see the pilot. Even the girl did the same.

"What are you doing here?" Steuben asked.

"I was on my way back to my quarters, sir. I made a call to my older brother a little while ago."

"I see. Carry on." He cleared the pilot to continue.

As the three parted ways, the pilot was harboring thoughts about the girl following the commander.

" _That girl…"_

 **XXXXXXX**

Yorktown was following the captain to one of the berthing compartments throughout the ship. As Steuben would be busy with important operations for most of the time, he would hand down the task to the personnel under his command. It would also make the shipgirl feel right at home as she would make some new friends that she could trust in the future.

After some time, the captain stopped. He turned his face towards the entrance of a room.

"Attention!"

Noises erupted from within the room. After a brief period, it stopped, but what Yorktown heard next was the simultaneous shouting of the word "Sir!"

"Pardon my intrusion, but I would like to introduce to your new roommate." Steuben turned to the shipgirl. "Yorktown, come forward."

"Okay, sir." She stepped forward toward the entrance.

Standing in front of the duo were two female occupants. One on the left was of an average build, sporting short, blonde hair and brown eyes. She even sported a shirt that . The other was slightly taller with a slightly darker skin tone, brown hair and brown eyes. Both were wearing plain white shirts.

"This here is Yorktown. Due to some circumstances, she will be staying on the carrier for some time. Treat her well and show her how are things are done here whenever possible."

"Yes, sir. Will do." The brown-haired sailor complied.

"We will, sir." Her blond-haired counterpart followed.

Steuben gazed at Yorktown for the last time of the day. "Well, I will take my leave. You take care."

"Have a good night, sir." She said to him for the last time of the day.

"You too." With that, Steuben detached from Yorktown, making his way back to his cabin.

The girl with the brown hair approaced the shipgirl.

"For a new person here, you're quite a cutie, Yorktown." A complement was given.

"Thanks..." Yorktown timidly replied.

"I'm Milla Lim, and the other girl with me is Elizabeth Nelson." The girl in front of Yorktown introduced themselves.

"Hey there." A casual response from Elizabeth was given as she approached to see the shipgirl up close.

"Make yourself at home. We have some vacant beds for you to choose from, but I would suggest the one just below Elizabeth's. Much better there." She directed the girl to the bed in question.

"I appreciate it, you two." Yorktown quitely thanked the women as she sat near the edge.

"I have some mixed nuts if you want." An offer was made to provide some snacks.

"Mixed nuts?"

"One of my favorites. You wanna try?"

"Oh… Yes, please."

With that, Milla opened a locker to reveal a brown paper bag. Inside, she got out a packet with the aformenetioned snack being shown via the transparent port. It was opened and then offered to Yorktown.

"Here."

"Thanks." The girl got out a small portion. There, a mixture of almonds, walnuts, Macadamia and cashews were shown to their full visual extent.

"I'll get some." Elizabeth joined in. "Feeling a bit hungry myself."

"Dig in, got plenty of 'em." Milla gave some.

Yorktown took a piece of cashew and chewed on it. Once tasted, she could feel its roasted flavor. The almond was next, and the same result came. Mixing them and the last two nuts together, she chewed on them, bringing in the different textures of each. Yorktown was awed.

"I never heard of mixing nuts together for a snack, but this tastes good." She aired her newfound fondness.

"By the way, where do you come from, Yorktown?" Elizabeth asked.

Yorktown was caught off-guard by the question. Torn between choosing to reveal her true home or not caused her emotional pain to slightly open up.

"Where I come from…? I...I really don't want to mention that."

"Bad memories, huh?" Her roommate felt guilty. "I'm sorry."

"No. It's not really your fault. You were just curious, nothing bad about that."

Milla, sensing Yorktown's pain, sat next to her. "If anything happens, we are here for you. Just give us the word."

With these encouraging words, Yorktown calmed down and began to put up a slight smile on her face.

"Thank you, guys. I appreciate your kind help… Now that I think about it, I'm getting a bit better."

Even her new roommates put up their smiles.

"You're welcome." Elizabeth responded warmly.

 **(February 16, 2027)**

The next morning, it was breakfast at 0600 hrs. Numerous sailors began to head for the mess deck to get their share of heavy breakfast, for they would be having laborous tasks in a while. To keep things lively, satellite television was switched on for entertainment. A long-running animated sitcom was being shown by the Osean Channel 76.

Yorktown was quite surprised at the food that was gradually added onto the tray - sausages, fried potatoes, fruits and orange juice. It reminded her of home cooking.

It was not just the food, however.

"They have TVs here?" Yorktown was surprised to hear as the two began to detach from the line to search for the desired vacant table.

"Yeah, but those are satellite TVs. We receive signals from satellites orbiting the Earth in order to get the channels here while out at sea." An explanation was given, but Yorktown was confused.

"So, what are 'satellites?'"

"Usually, man-made objects that-"

"Elize!" A male voice called out to her using her nickname. The two girls turned to see a young-looking man.

"Ben." The Osean female replied back. "Good morning. Have you seen Hazen?"

"He just went to the toilet, but he'll be back shortly." He stopped upon seeing Yorktown. He tried to make a decent and more professional response. "Uh…"

"It's you." The silver-haired girl responded.

"You met each other, Yorktown?" Elizabeth was taken aback.

"Last night, yes. But for a brief while." She turned her attention to the man and approached him. "I believe this would be the time to introduce ourselves. I'm Yorktown."

"Ben… Benjamin Fletcher." He followed with his introduction. "Anyway, sorry if I called…"

"Ah, nothing much to worry, Ben. We're finding space right now." She let the moment pass without penalty. "How about you join us?"

"I still haven't got my fill yet, so go on ahead without me." He informed.

"Alright, alright. Just hurry up, will ya?"

"Gotcha." Ben began to head for the line to receive his food. Yorktown looked at him for a moment.

"C'mon, Yorktown." Elize reminded.

"Oh, right." The two resumed their hunt for the table.

"By the way, he is my wingman." She disclosed his position.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Ben and I are part of Reaper Squadron."

"'Reaper Squadron...?'" Yorktown was surprised.

A nod was made. "Three-craft formation. We fly F-35s."

"The plane that Captain Steuben showcased to me... He told me a lot about them."

"Lucky you."

After a while, a vacant table was made. To Elize's relief, it was conveniently placed near a column where a TV was installed.

"There's that spot." She comfirmed. Yorktown slowly grew fixiated on the show being broadcasted upon arrival. Elize saw what she was doing. "'The Escapades' - a long-running animated sitcom. It details the life of the Gatewoods and their everyday adventures."

"Who is she?"

"That's Selene Gatewood, oldest daughter of Victor Gatewood and one of the main characters." She introduced her to Yorktown. "Quite a cheeky one at best."

With the entertainment on hand, Yorktown could proceed to tasting her food. She took a slice of of the fried potatoes and placed it in her mouth. Immediately, her taste buds felt the vibrant flavours coming from the spices and parsley that were added. With that, Yorktown felt genuinely at home.

"You like it?" Elize asked upon noticing her expression.

Yorktown swallowed her food. "Yes, I do! The potatoes taste wonderful."

A gentle mirth from the Osean was made. "That's good to hear. By the way, I might get you some iced coffee later if you wish."

"I would love to."

A few moments later, they were approached by a man of average build. As with Ben, he sported short hair - as per the regulations of the Navy - but the only difference was the black hair color. His skin tone was a bit dark and aged.

"Elize, how's it going?" He asked. Elize turned to see him.

"Good morning, sir." The Osean female responded with respect. She then turned to Yorktown. "Yorktown, meet Vince Motier - our squadron leader."

"Oh, it's nice to meet you, sir." She stood up and greeted. "I'm Yorktown."

"Quite an unusual name, but it sounds nice for a change."

Yorktown gave out a mirth. "Thanks."

"So I would say that this is your first time here on the carrier." Motier asked.

"Yes, sir. The people here were kind enough to help me."

"Good to hear."

At the right time, Ben came with his tray holding his meal.

"So, am I late?" The question was not serious, but it was meant to inform them that he came.

"Nope. You came at the right time." Motier answered.

"Dig in." Elize followed.

With that, Yorktown and the Reaper Squadron came together to exchange in either words or food while the TV remained on stand-by.

 **(Southern Usea)**

Out at sea, a four-ship fighter squadron was on their way to intercept an unusually large formation of contacts flying close to the southern shores of Usea.

If one were to dig a little deeper, there were some oddities regarding the jets and their affiliation.

Unlike the traditional air force of a country, it was part of a growing corporate tiger called General Resource Limited, evident by their logo painted on the tail in low-visibility white. Even their jets were unusual - on the surface, they appeared to be normal YF-23 Black Widow IIs with their already-unique diamond wing and angled V-tail fins; however, General Resource upgraded most of the planes with new materials, engines and avionics, making them new aircraft.

"Albatross 1 to Control, we have a visual on the unknown formation. Moving to intercept." The flight leader reported to their base.

The jets opened their throttles to catch up with the contacts, putting them close to the point where their afterburners would be used. When they arrived, they were surprised. Unlike any aircraft that was utilized in the sky, all six unknowns featured sleek airframes, short, forward-swept wings and two engines buried within their airframes - which were painted in black.

"Holy shit…" Albatross 3 quietly uttered.

"I never seen such planes before." Albatross 4 commented on their looks. He then noticed the absence of any identification writings. "No visible emblems…"

"Control to Albatross, what's going on?" The base asked upon hearing their comments.

"Be advised - we have ID'ed the contacts. Model - unknown, country of origin - unknown. Looks like new airframes, over." Albatross 1 reported.

"Unknown? Read back, over."

"Be advised - we have ID'ed the contacts. Model - unknown, country of origin - unknown. Looks like new airframes, over." The message was repeated.

"Control to Albatross, roger. Escort the formation away from the airspace." The order was given.

"Albatross 1, wilco." The leader complied. He quickly switched frequencies to contact the unknown aircraft. "Attention, unidentified aircraft. This is Captain Lance Martin of the General Resource Defense Force's Albatross Squadron - you are approaching General Resource airspace. Change your course to bearing 270 and proceed to 2000 meters, or we will be forced to fire upon you. How copy?"

No response came from them.

"Nothing." Albatross 2 uttered.

"Unidentified aircraft, I say again - you are approaching General Resource airspace. Change your course to bearing 270 and proceed to 2000 meters, or we will be forced to fire upon you. How copy?" The warning was repeated.

Again, nothing came from the unknown aircraft. Albatross 1 was getting impatient, but he remained professional in an effort to stop any harm from affecting the two parties.

"This is your last warning - change your course to bearing 270 and proceed to 2000 meters, or we will be forced to fire upon you."

Then, the formation suddenly broke off to the heading that was ordered. The GR pilots were puzzled.

"Weird. They're leaving." Albatross 4 said.

"Let's follow them." The leader ordered.

The squadron turned to follow the unknowns and ensure that they fully leave the airspace. Almost immediately, two of the unknown jets did an Immelmann turn and pointed their frames towards them.

Then, they opened fire with their guns.

"Whoa!?" The squadron reacted and began breaking formation to evade.

"They just opened fire upon us!" Albatross 2 shouted.

"All units, engage! Shoot 'em down!" Albatross 1 hastily ordered his wingmen.

Almost simultaneously, the remaining unknown aircraft - now being confirmed as hostile - broke off to attack.

"Fox 2!" Albatross 3 fired a missile on one bandit. It detonated very close to the top of the enemy's craft, causing the aircraft to burst into flames. "He's down!"

The squadron were slowly being pressured even though they were about to equalize.

"Albatross 1, missile! Missile!" Albatross 4 shouted to his leader.

"Wha-!" Before he could finish, the transmission was abruptly cut off.

"Sir!" Almost immediately, Albatross 3 was shocked upon seeing their commander being hit by a missile. The fireball coming from the burning remains instilled fear into him. "Shit, Albatross 1's down!"

"This is Albatross 4, get him of me!" He cried for help. He tried to shake off the hostile chasing him, but it started to open fire with the gun. Bullets whizzed by his plane, and a few managed to hit the airframe. "I'm hit!"

The bandit broke off, giving Albatross 4 little time for breathing.

"Can you still fly?" Albatross 2 asked.

"Control's still functional, but I don't know!"

"Fox 2, Fox 2!" Albatross 2 shouted, but he was hit before his missile hit his target. "Aah!"

His plane was then destroyed.

"Albatross 2…dammit!" Albatross 3 was shocked. "Itsuka, get out of here now!"

"But…"

"GO! I'll buy you time!"

Albatross 4 felt reluctant to leave his last remaining squadmate behind, but hearing what his friend wanted and with the damage on the aircraft, he had no other choice. He opened the afterburner to begin his escape to friendly airspace, while Albatross 3 stayed behind to keep them from giving chase.

A violent dance between fighters tore the sky. Albatross 3 maneuvered hard and fired a missile at Albatross 4's pursuer without saying the brevity code. He immediately did a split-S to evade the gunfire. A few moments after, multiple missile launches were detected. The maneuvers put a strain onto his body as he weaved through them.

He thought to himself, "Guess this is it…" The bullets then reached his plane, damaging it. Fire broke out, quickly disabling all systems.

Moments later, the plane exploded.

"Marc…, do you read? MARC!" Itsuka shouted in despair.

The remaining hostile fighters stopped their pursuit and began to retreat from the area. It seemed as though they had enough. Itsuka felt somewhat relieved, but what he had more was pain and revenge. He felt that if he were to meet them again, he would wipe them off the face of the Earth.

For the higher-ups at General Resource, it would most certainly invite a retaliatory move once news of the engagement was heard.

"Albatross, do you read? What is your situation?" The base asked.

Itsuka paused as he put up some confidence. "This is Albatross 4… be advised. I'm the only pilot left in the squadron. Returning to base."

 **XXXXXXX**

"Air wing, launch!"

Alone in the open waters, the call of a young and tomboyish woman was aired. One by one, the cards that she threw towards the open sky materialized into A6M Zeroes - equipped with drop tanks for longer flying times - set off to find the slightest sight of land. Her silver hair danced along with the wind, and her bunny ears stayed up to hear for any signs of trouble.

"Whew! This is getting tiring…" She sighed as she wiped the sweat off her face.


	5. Chapter 4 - Reveal (Part 1)

For Hiryuu, it looked like eternity had passed.

Since waking up, there was nothing but open waters and good skies. She tried communicating to her fellow allies, but her radio was silent. No one returned a response. Not even a shipgirl, not even a normal ship, and not even a plane. In the meantime, she opted to launch some of her fighters in order to find anything that would catch her interest and, hopefully, some much-needed help.

After their long and taxing flights, the fighters came back with whatever information they had brought for Hiryuu to analyze. A blue aura surrounded each one of them when they made their approach. The aura then turned into light, transforming the Zeroes back into cards. Hiryuu skillfully retrieved them.

"What am I going to do? If only Souryuu was here…" Hiryuu thought as she clenched her fist. "Tck…!"

Letting off some steam, she returned to her more calm self so that she could begin receiving information. She sat down and began to perform a special kind of meditation, a preferred method for the carriers of the Sakura Empire - shaped by millennia of tradition and belief of the gods and spirits. From there, the planes-turned-cards transmitted the information to Hiryuu's mind through an aura.

A few minutes later, the first of the mental images came to Hiryuu. It showed her an island, and on its surface was a massive structure in ruins, evident by a large crater on the main section. Despite that and the presence of vegatation which consumed much of the site, there were details that were left open: tall buildings, small ports, and even openings to unknown areas.

"A fortress?" She uttered.

It was unlike anything she had ever seen before. Who made a structure as massive and eerie as that? Was it the Azur Lane or the Sakura Empire's ally, the Ironbloods?

"I wonder what happened there…"

For now, Hiryuu would have to wait.

 **(OFS** _ **Altair**_ **, Atlantic Ocean - February 16, 2027)**

It was another busy day for the Osean 5th Fleet. At her peak, the _Altair_ was launching aircraft after aircraft for their assigned sorties: strike missions, deliveries, personnel transport, among others.

The Reaper Squadron were on their way to perform a mission in the Gnome Ravine, aiding the peacekeeping units of the International United Nations stationed there, of which Osea was a part of. Early on, fighting between the peacekeepers and local insurgents signaled the need for air support. Their Lightnings were armed with guided munitions and fully-loaded gunpods for the task. For self-defense, two air-to-air missiles were fitted on their wing pylons.

"Reaper 3, begin take-off sequence. You are cleared for launch." The permission was given to Elize.

"Reaper 3, wilco." She responded.

She opened the throttle in preparation, sending the thrust to be deflected away via the jet blast deflector. Despite that, the ship's electromagnetic aircraft catapult would provide most of the energy needed to lift an aircraft off the ship's tight space.

And so, when the catapult officer pressed the appropriate buttons, it did its job. Elize, like most of her fellow aviators, felt the Gs as the plane almost instantly reached take-off speed. From that point, with the wind lifting her plane up, her throttle was opened to half afterburner, and her landing gear was retracted.

"Reaper 3's away."

Once she attained enough speed, she reached the specified altitude. "Reaper 3 to Control, I've reached 1600 ft. Proceeding to form up with Reaper Squadron."

She closed in on her mates and approached on the right, completing the three-man Vic formation.

"This is Reaper 1, all aircraft accounted for and are holding hands." Commander Motier confirmed.

"Roger that. Be advised, altitude restrictions are lifted. You are linked to airborne warning and control aircraft - callsign 'Metal Hawk.' Good luck out there."

And so, the squadron began their long flight to their target. For the duration of the trip towards the Usean mainland, the squadron were to receive constant updates on the situation.

 **XXXXXXX**

For 23 minutes, it was all peaceful and forgiving skies. They were more than 120 miles away from the mainland.

Then, a radio signal was received. It was from Metal Hawk.

"Metal Hawk to Reaper Squadron, do you read?"

"This is Reaper 1, we read you." Motier replied.

"We have an emergency situation from command: an Osean Air Force air patrol unit is currently under attack by unknown aircraft and is requesting assistance. Reapers, you are currently the only squadron close enough to provide support. Change course and proceed to bearing 076 immediately."

"Damn…" Ben uttered.

"Solid copy, Metal Hawk, we're on our way." The commander complied.

Elize was feeling quite weary, escpecially since the squadron's own run-in with unidentified bandits days before. "Something's not right… Is anyone feeling it?"

"Yeah, I'm feeling that."

The planes turned right to the instructed heading and opened their throttles, hoping that they could make it to the fight as fast as possible. Their radar modes were switched to air-to-air to help them identify friend from foe.

"Can anyone hear us? This is Longbow 1, we are taking fire from unknown bandits. Please assist!" A radio message from the patrol unit was aired.

Shortly after, they have radar contact on their allies and their targets: three for the former - flying upgraded F-15C Eagle air superiority fighters - and three for the latter.

"I got radar contact: two friendlies, three hostiles." Motier confirmed to Metal Hawk before radioing the distressed allies. "Longbow 1, this is Reaper Squadron. We have you on radar and are on our way to assist. ETA 120 seconds."

"Allies, finally! We're almost out of ammunition, and me and Longbow 3 took gun hits."

"Longbow 3, your six!" Longbow 2 shouted upon seeing the bandit closing in from behind.

"I'm hit, I'm hit! Ejecting!" The pilot shouted before pulling the lever to escape from his doomed craft.

"Longbow 3 ejected… I see a chute! We have a downed pilot; we need SAR, ASAP!" The deployment of the pilot's parachute was confirmed.

"Reapers, assume attack formation. Maintain element." Motier ordered.

"Copy that, Boss." Ben responded.

"Wilco." Elize followed as the squadron slightly loosened their formation.

"Weapons arm." The safeties of their weapons were turned off.

A minute before their arrival, Longbow 1 took hits.

"Gah, I'm hit-" He uttered before sudden static completely engulfed the radio feed.

"Dammit, Longbow 1's down!" The last flying aircraft in the squadron confirmed after seeing his squadron leader's aircraft explode in a fireball. "I need support!"

Finally, the Reapers were in range for short-range missile fire.

"Got a lock, Fox 2!" Elize confirmed before pressing the trigger.

Her squadmates also fired missiles upon getting their individual lock-ons. The three missiles moved in at a fast pace and slowly adjusted their heading according to the bandits' flight path.

Then, the moment came. Two of the bandits were taken out, but one remained standing.

"Confirmed: two bandits splashed." Ben reported.

"That last one is fleeing." Longbow 2 warned upon seeing it heading for the Reapers.

"Copy that, we're seeing it." Motier confirmed. "Reapers, break!"

The squadron broke off as they pursue the hostile. Elize got a lock again, and she was ready to release the last missile.

"Got a lock. Fox 2!"

The missile was dropped, and its motor was roaring to life. Again, it moved at a fast pace. Then, the bandit dived, sending the missile to miss.

"Missed…" Elize uttered in disappointment. "Going in for gun run. Cover my six."

Her Lightning moved as well, but her plane's maneuverability was hindered by the air-to-ground munitions the squadron was carrying. The request to have her friends cover her six was a good move. Nevertheless, she was close to her target.

When she got to see its body, she was shocked.

 _"What the…?!"_ She mentally shouted. _"That model…"_

She was not mistaken: the familiar large fuselage, the familiar short forward-swept wings and the familiar dark paint. They were the exact aircraft type the Reapers shot down before.

The bandit turned sharpy right and mande another dive as it attempted to evade the path of Elize's cannon. Unfortunately, the Osean managed to overcome her initial shock and began to counter the move.

"Guns, guns, guns!" The trigger to the cannon was pulled, and a short burst was fired. Most of the bullets hit the enemy, affecting most of its capabilities. "Target hit, It's smokin!'"

"Finish it off, Vale!" Ben uttered.

Another short burst was fired. This time, the enemy exploded in fire and leaking fluids. Parts on the rear also came off the doomed craft as it made its violent descend into the water below, where the remains would be laid to rest on the seabed for a long time.

The encounter came to a quick close. Elize felt a bit redeemed after her plane suffered damage from the same enemy during the early encounter.

"Bandit splashed! Whew...!" A sigh was made.

"Reaper 1 to Metal Hawk, all bandits eliminated. Airspace secured." Motier confirmed. "Be advised, we have a downed pilot in the water. Repeat - we have a downed pilot in the water. Requesting SAR."

"Roger that, Reaper 1. We're sending a rescue team to assist. Longbow 3, remain on standby." The AWACS ordered.

"Longbow 3, roger." The pilot replied in confirmation. "Reapers, I couldn't thank you enough."

"You're welcome. We're sorry that we couldn't have come sooner to get all of you guys out alive." Elize replied, sharing some of the sorrow for the fallen leader of the Longbow Squadron.

"That's okay. At least you tried."

Thanks to the latest dogfight, it became apparent that some faction that owned the mysterious aircraft was playing with the proverbial fire, risking another major conflict since the Lighthouse War.

Then, as if things began to settle peacefully, another radio message from Metal Hawk came in.

"Reaper Squadron… I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we have another emergency." He said worriedly.

"What is it, Metal Hawk?" Ben asked.

"The Osean 5th Fleet is under attack by unknown ships. The Altair took a missile hit. Multiple casualties reported..."

This news shocked the entire squadron to the core.

"Shit!" Elize uttered.

"What?!" Ben followed. "Now?!"

"Roger, we're on our way back." Motier hastily responded to the call. "Dammit!"

It was not only their fellow sailors and aviators that were in trouble. Someone within the fleet could get hurt or - worse - killed, and she would need all the help she could muster to survive.

"Wait a minute… YORKTOWN!"


	6. Chapter 5 - Reveal (Part 2)

**(OFS** _ **Altair**_ **, Atlantic Ocean - February 16, 2027)**

Yorktown was waiting at the Reaper Squadron's ready room while they were conducting their operation. In their absence, she was reading some magazines that were available on a nearby desk. They provided her a window into anything regarding the new world such as recent events, technology, and politics.

At the moment, she was reading a magazine published by the Science Meister. The words that Captain Steuben told her of the rapid advances in aviation technology came back to open her curiosity once more. Pictures related to commercial and military fields fascinated her; their streamlined designs echoed some of the illustrative works of numerous people back at her own world, except that the more ambitious technologies had not arrived yet. And what was more interesting was the field of space development; humans in this world had already broken the invisible barrier to the ocean of stars and were marching forward at a fast pace, confirming much of what Elize told her early on during breakfast.

Suddenly, the wailing of the alarm was sounded, breaking the peace. It looked like trouble was coming.

"All hands, proceed to battlestations! Multiple missiles approaching! I repeat - all hands, proceed to battlestations! Multiple missiles approaching!" The loudspeaker informed everyone onboard the ship. "Open CIWS fire!"

Yorktown was shocked to the core. An attack was underway, but in what way remained a mystery to her.

"A battle?" Wasting no time, she attempted to get a look. She exited the ready room.

Then, something came from the speaker. "Defenses breached! All hands, brace for impact!"

Without warning, an explosion came.

"AAAHHH!"

Yorktown was violently pushed back by the explosion. A large hole was formed, followed by the burning rubble. The light from outside the ship mixed in with the bright orange glow of the fire.

"Starboard side hit! Damage control!" The speaker wailed.

"Mnnnggghh!" Yorktown grunted as she was getting back on her feet. She turned her sight on the light, leading her to the open seas. Three ships on the side were defending the carrier. In front of Yorktown's eyes, projectiles were launched from them, leaving behind white smoke.

"Ma'am!" Someone shouted. Yorktown turned to see a sailor grabbing her attention. "Are you alright?"

"I'm alright..." She replied while retaining her shocked expression.

"We can't stay here, let's go!" He left, and Yorktown followed suit.

Outside, the state of the surroundings were revealed. Pipes, tangled wiring, and various fluids decorated everything around her. Almost everything was under the illumination of red lighting and the wailing echo of the alarm. Personnel were taking the injured away from the site to be treated as quickly as possible.

"Alert: additional missiles approaching! Repeat: additional missiles approaching!" The speaker warned of a second attack.

"Shit, we don't have time!" Another sailor shouted. "Hurry!"

Yorktown was caught off-guard again. "Not again!"

The running pace of the survivors increased without affecting their professionalism, keeping the passageways open for others trailing behind and the incoming damage control party.

"All hands, brace for impact!" The moment the speaker shouted the dreadful alert, everyone prepared themselves. Yorktown, knowning what would happen next, followed suit.

Another explosion came, though it was not as violent as the first strike.

"Hey, you felt that?" A question was raised. "Looks like CIWS intercepted the missile just in the nick of time."

The news provided a very small amount of relief for the sailors.

"Let's get movin!'" The call was made. Everyone resumed their retreat.

 **XXXXXXX**

For those on the 'island', it was sheer luck. The close-in weapons systems managed to shoot down the missile, which was a few feet from hitting the ship. Had it did hit, this would have dealt the killing blow to the _Altair_.

For one ship, it was unlucky.

"Mayday, mayday! This is the OFS Cub, broadcasting on all channels! The commander has given orders to abandon ship. Mayday, mayday - the Cub is abandoning ship!" The radio message from the now-sinking cruiser was aired.

Everyone hearing it was shocked.

"Dammit!" One pilot onbard an F/A-18E Super Hornet multirole fighter uttered. She was actually Milla.

The fighter, armed with ground munitions and short-range air-to-air missiles for her now-cancelled operation, was one of two that were quickly attached to the catapults.

"Gnome Squadron, take off immediately and protect the fleet." The carrier ordered. "We can't lose any more ships."

"Gnome 1, understood." The leader replied as he finished preparations for the catapult launch.

"This is the Altair CIC, we have located the unknown surface contacts - bearing 212, 50 miles out. Once you guys form up, engage the hostiles." The carrier's command information center confirmed. "Be advised: reinforcements are on their way - ETA 15 minutes. Hang on 'till then."

Shortly after - one by one - the first two Gnome members took off from the _Altair_. Their missiles and fire control systems were armed, giving the fighters the capability to fight back while they wait for the other two to form up. Shortly after, the other two planes swiftly took off from the carrier.

"Gnome Squadron here, all aircraft are airborne. A'ight, guys, let's get these bastards off the fleet's tail." The leader let out the signal.

"Copy that, Gnome 1." Milla responded.

"Roger." Gnome 3 followed.

"Copy." Gnome 4 finished.

The squadron turned southwest in the direction of where the missiles came from. With their throttles opened, they were speeding close to Mach 1. From that point, they were covering ground much faster, increasing the chances of stopping any further attacks.

Suddenly, air-to-air missiles were detected. They were targeting the Gnomes.

"We got missile launches!" Gnome 4 shouted.

"Break, break!" Gnome 1 shouted. Immediately, they broke off to evade the missiles. With the missiles getting closer, they deployed their flares to try spoofing them away from their aircraft. Hard maneuvering also augmented their chances.

"Missile evaded!" Suceeded, Milla quickly reported. It was not long before the others did the same.

Despite the broken and disorganized formation, the Gnomes resumed their flight. Almost two minutes later, they had gained visual contact.

"Gnome 4, I have visual contact on hostile surface units - type unknown - although…"

"What is it, Gnome 4?" Milla noticed the pause.

"I could make out only two small ships." The report was unbelievable. Their radars did detect three contacts, so what the pilot said did not make sense.

"Just _two_ ships?" Gnome 1 asked.

"Hold on… I'm seeing something moving away from the main pack. Unable to confirm." Almost immediately, gunfire erupted. "Goddamn, I got AA here!"

"We're on our way, break off now!"

As Gnome 4 began to retreat, he took a glimpse of something floating above the surface. A faint impression of silver stood out against the blue waters. The pilot was not able to confirm much more before the "object" disappeared from view.

"Guys, I see something silver down there…"

Another missile launch was detected. It was heading for Gnome 4.

"Watch it, Gnome 4! Missile!"

"Ngh!" The pilot quickly switched to his flares. Just before the missile was close to the plane, the countermeasures were deployed. But it was not enough. "Gah!"

The missile detonated just near the engine. Power was quickly running out, and his control surfaces were almost inoperable.

"I'm hit! This is Gnome 4, I'm hit! Ejecting!"

It was the last transmission made by the stricken plane. The remaining pilots were angry and hungry for payback.

"Gnome 4's down! Requesting SAR!" Milla cried for help.

The pilots descended on the enemy fleet; their bombs were ready to strike. A screen of AA fire surrounded the pilots, but they were determined.

"Do we have visual on that 'thing' Gnome 4 mentioned?" Gnome 1 asked in regards to the unknown contact.

"I'm seeing something in front. That's the one!" Gnome 3 replied before starting to attack the specific target himself. When his cameras and sensors found the target, he was shocked by what he saw. "Holy...!"

As this was going on, the bombs began to drop away from their pylons.

"Bombs away, bombs away!"

The bombs closed in on the two warships. Almost immediately, they scored hits on them. But it came at a cost.

"Gnngghh… I'm hit, I'm hit!" Milla shouted. AA fire got here.

"Milla!" Gnome 1 was shocked.

"I'm fine, instruments are still functional. Don't think I can continue." The female member assured.

"Get out of here!"

"Understood." Milla then began to leave.

Gnome 1 was looking at the work the survivors had done. Two enemy ships were reduced to burning wrecks. Though the AA fire was reduced, it still remained.

"Gnome to Altair, two ships confirmed hit and burning. Still floating, over."

"Uh… guys? That third target… it's a girl." Afraid, Gnome 3 reported.

"Wait…what?" Confusion arose from the leader.

"No, seriously, that last target on the water is a girl… and it's freaking armed with guns!"

Gnome 1 returned to the scene to confirm the suspicions. If what Gnome 3 said was true, it would be beyond comprehension. He focused his camera on the target once he saw the silver specs. When he saw "her", he, too, could not believe it. The AA fire coming from "her" did not help either.

"What the hell…?"

"Altair to Gnome, what's happening?" The carrier requested an update.

Gnome 1 paused, regaining some composure. "We have confirmation on the last target - it's a girl… armed with AA weapons and naval guns. I repeat - it's a girl armed with AA weapons and naval guns."

Like the pilot before, the CIC could not believe it.

"Are you serious? An armed girl?"

"Affirmative…"

 **XXXXXXX**

In the CIC room, shock and tension filled the atmosphere even after the video feed of the mysterious girl was broadcasted. With what Yorktown said to him about the existence of shipgirls, Steuben could only look, unable to give out an order in regards to her.

"My God… this is true."

A person beside him could hear his words. "Huh? Sir, what's going on?"

Before an answer could be given, something was detected on the radar.

"Sir, we got multiple bogeys approaching from bearing 085!" The officer shouted.

"Dammit… how many are there?"

"16 bogeys, sir!" The number was given, but that immediately changed when more bogeys appeared within them. "Wait, hold on! Dammit… they're launching missiles! Missiles!"

The confirmation shocked everyone. They were now unsure if their surviving CIWS was enough to take them down.

"Dammit! We're screwed!" One shouted in defeat.

"Concentrate fire on those bogeys!" Steuben shouted.

"Yes, sir!"

As the missiles drew closer, the CIWS fired everything they got at them. The carriers of these weapons were also targeted. Four friendly fighters were launched beforehand.

"30 seconds to impact! We can't hit 'em all!"

The missiles were slowly dwindling, but like a raging bull, it kept on steaming forward without stopping.

"All hands, brace for impact!"

 **XXXXXXX**

Before long, the _Altair_ took a direct hit. Smoke and hot wind rushed through a large portion of the hallways. Yorktown and the survivors collapsed from the force of the explosion.

"Aaaggghhh!"

Many felt the heat. Some of them were crying in both physical and mental pain. But it was not the end of their troubles. The ship began to slowly tilt.

"This is Captain Steuben, all hands, evacuate the ship immediately! Repeat - all hands, evacuate the ship immediately!"

The ship was done for. They had to evacuate all the living people off the ship.

"Yorktown, if you are hearing this, meet me at the flight deck at once!" A request was made for her. "We need you!"

The name of the intendend recipient caused confusion among the Oseans.

"Who the hell is 'Yorktown'?" One asked.

For Yorktown, she knew that the captain needed her. She rushed for the outside, braving through the messed-up hallways.

Once outside, she could only watch helplessly as fire and smoke from the bow of the ship rose up like a volcanic eruption. A distant ship on the left burned much more intensely. The survivors on the flight deck rushed to get the wounded away, and some felt the same way as Yorktown, only much more horrified.

Before long, the distant sound of engines grew closer and closer until they were above the fleet. AA fire from the Oseans lit up a sky that was heading into the evening. From that point, a dogfight was underway.

Yorktown found one of them, and she could identify which faction it belonged to.

"A Siren fighter… no way…"

Then, another fighter engine roared past by. This time, she could see an Osean-aligned plane - painted in gray - dogfighting the Siren bandit with its gun firing. It was a Lightning.

"Yorktown!" The faint sound of Captain Steuben was heard. Yorktown turned to see him rushing towards him. "There you are. You're okay?"

"I'm alright."

For Steuben, he had an idea. "Follow me. We're getting your rig ready."

It was time. For the first time since Midway, Yorktown was stepping in into combat. As the sailors started abandoning ship, Steuben was guiding her towards an area where her rig was stored.

"Yorktown, one of our squadrons found a girl fighting alonside two dark-painted ships, and she was walking on water. Had some firepower, probably equal to that of a destroyer." He reported what he and the fighters found out.

"That girl's a Siren. Those dark ships? I could tell that they are part of them. Even their fighters above…" The shipgirl answered worriedly.

"That would explain it." Yorktown was confused by what Steuben uttered.

"What do you mean, sir?"

"We had an encounter with three of their fighters last week. They opened fire on Reaper Squadron, but they downed them in response." The captain revealed. "Whatever they are, they're making their opening move."

"That's not good."

After entering the area in question, she was relieved to see her rig in pristine condition.

"Captain, I gotta need your help fitting this." She requested as she took one part of it.

"On it."

 **XXXXXXX**

For a few short moments, Ben chased the enemy craft relentlessly. A few burst of the cannon put it out of its misery.

"Splashed one hostile!" He confirmed.

"Vale, on your right!" Motier shouted.

Elize, upon noticing the bandit, dived to evade the bullets. "Better get that sunnavabitch off me!"

"Hold on, I'm on him." He fired his cannon, making the bandit felt discouraged from doing any further pursuit on Elize. "He's off your back."

"Wilco." Elize, free from her pursuer, joined the chase. The two aimed their guns at the target, but the third member got the killing blow when the enemy's left wing was cut off by her. "Bandit sent to the drink!"

It came at a cost, however. Elize ran out of bullets, putting her out of the dogfight.

"Ah, shit! I'm Winchester!" She let out a utter.

As if on cue, a contact appeared. But this time, it was located on the fleet itself.

"Wait, another contact?" Ben updated.

A pause was made. Then, Motier noticed something. "Look, from the Altair!"

In the distance, two unknown aircraft - accompanied by AA fire - began engaging the enemy as if they were allies. The bandits broke off, scrambling to random locations left and right. Ben was the closest, and he saw something surprising.

"Are those… Wildcats?"

He was not mistaken. A vintage propeller-powered fighter dogfighting was something that came out of nowhere. In the era of jet propulsion and missile technology, it would be an easy picking for any modern fighter like his Lightning, even from beyond visual range. To make things even wierder, its tail and wings were adorned with blue circle and one large star painted in white, like the colors and air force roundel of Osea.

"You guys seein' this?"

"Yeah, I'm seeing them. Are they... helping us?" Elize confirmed.

By the time of the transmission, seven Wildcats were up in the air.

"Please tell me I'm dreaming." When Ben saw the source of the AA fire, he slowed down and lowered his altitude to get a better look. What he saw shocked him even more. "Wait… Yorktown?!"

"Yorktown?" Motier wondered. "Where is she?"

"She's… she's beside the Altair… walking on water."

Down below, the mysterious girl he met before was starting to reveal her true nature to the world, showing off her old-fashioned carrier-inspired rigging. She could see Ben's plane flying by but not himself as he was fully clad in his flight suit and gear.

"This is the AA cruiser Hornet, is anyone seeing a girl launching propeller fighers?" A friendly ship asked in confusion.

"Affirmative, I see her." Ben quickly responded. "Looks like she is helping us."

Suddenly, the last enemy fighter began to make an attack run. It was diving towards Yorktown. Ben took notice of it, but he was too late as it started dropping bombs on her.

"YORKTOWN!" Witnessing the splash of water caused by the explosion, he felt shocked. In anger, the pilot turned towards the enemy and opened his throttle to swiftly begin the pursuit. He fired his cannon at the bandit. "Damn you!"

Bullets riddled the aircraft. In almost an instant, the plane bursted into flames before plummeting into the ocean. Desperate to see if the girl survived, he turned towards the area where the bomb dropped on her.

As if by luck, Yorktown was still standing. Ben could not believe it, and he let out small tears from his eyes. To top it all off, she waved at him as thanks.

 _"I'm glad that you are okay… Thank God!"_ He thought.

 **XXXXXXX**

After finishing off the two ships, one question stumped the survivors of Gnome Squadron.

For a few minutes, Gnome 3 was undecided on what to do with the mysterious armed girl. Even if she was opening fire against him, the pilot could not attack her as this would constitute as a war crime by international law.

Then, without any known reason, the girl began to leave.

"She's leaving." Gnome 3 commented. "Guys, that girl's leaving the area."

"Let her go. Can't do much about it." The leader advised via radio as he was guarding the remains of the fleet. With the area clear of enemies, a rescue helicopter could be sent in to save Gnome 4.

"Understood, Boss." He began to send out an urgent request after the first one was denied due to the attack on the fleet. "Gnome 3 to any surviving units. The unknown girl is leaving the AO. I repeat - the unknown girl is leaving the AO. Requesting SAR."

"This is the cruiser Hornet, understood. We are sending a rescue helicopter to your position. Hold your position until further orders from command are transmitted. How copy?" The ship responded.

"Gnome 2, roger." With that, a sigh was let out. Without a carrier to land on, he and his fellow airmen would have to fly a long-distance trip to the nearest base on the southern part of Usea.

 **XXXXXXX**

Yorktown watched as her savior flew overhead, grateful that whoever was piloting the metal bird was there at the right time. When she turned to see the _Altair_ , there was nothing left of her. She slowly continued to sink until she would be laid to rest on the bottom of the seafloor below.

That opened up her darkest memories of Midway. Although the situation was different between the two, both her and the Osean ship experienced gradual damage that led them to their sinkings.

This time, however, all hope was not lost as another lifeboat was released just after the attack.

"Hey!" The voice of O'Hara called out to Yorktown. She came to see the nurse and a group of other survivors. "You're floating...?"

"Yes, I am." The shipgirl felt relieved. "I'm glad that you are okay."

"No sweat. Evacuation's going smoothly as we speak." Before Yorktown could leave, she then began to air one particular question. "Yorktown, what exactly are you?"

With confidence, the shipgirl was ready to reveal her secret. "I'm actually a shipgirl!"


	7. Chapter 6 - Reunion

"Wait for me, Big Sis."

Enterprise's little call to Yorktown was quiet and restrained. Tonight, the Yorktown sisters were about to witness something since the start of their training to become the Eagle's finest shipgirls. The weather was almost as clear as glass, and the winds calmed for fitting breezes, perfect for the little ones.

It was stargazing, a time where the heavens dance in a spectacular show of light.

"Here, here." Yorktown pointed towards a spot near a tree.

Even if she was not on the place yet, Hornet could already tell that the stars were beautiful.

"The stars… looks like they are closer together now." The blonde girl commented. Her eyes received the gentle shower of light. "Hah! I wish I could enjoy this for longer."

"Hehe… Same with me." Yorktown mirthed as she was doing the same.

"Big Sis, think you could count how many stars up there?" Enterprise asked.

"That would be a tall order, Enty."

As the girls enjoyed, something magical was crossing the sky. A brief streak of light was flashed, not like of a star.

"Look, a shooting star!" Hornet shouted. "Let's make a wish!"

"Count me in." The second of the sisters quickly accepted.

For a moment, the girls paused as they think of what they would wish for. Their minds were full of positive energy. When they were ready to reveal their wishes, Yorktown chose to hold hers for a moment and allow her younger siblings to share theirs first.

"Did anyone wish for anything?"

"I wish for the pair of cowboy boots that we found back at town." Hornet started.

"I wished for an eagle like yours, Big Sis." Enterprise then noticed what Yorktown was holding back her reveal. "Speaking of which, what did you wish for?"

"C'mon, tell us, Yorky." Hornet was eager to hear.

"Alright, alright." Yorktown knew it was her turn. "You see, what I really wished for… is for everyone to live happily as one."

"Huh?" The other sisters reacted with surprise. They were expecting Yorktown for something else like a commander who could be her partner or other things.

"Aren't you wishing for something else, Yorky?"

"You see, since the arrival of the Sirens, I couldn't help but feel our world is filled with trouble and despair. I believe that there is a light somewhere that will guide us to a better future. We are the 'light' that will bring back peace to this world. That's why I made that wish." Yorktown revealed.

That statement was finally understood by the other girls.

"Now I get it." Enterprise responded with a smile. Hornet followed.

"Enterprise, Hornet, promise me something. If anything bad happens to any of us, just remember: we have each other's backs, no matter where we go."

"Count me in." The second sibling nodded.

"Me too." Hornet raised her fist high in the air.

Yorktown, feeling more confident, smiled. Once their training was done, they were to fulfill a mission for the future of humanity.

 **XXXXXXX**

Yorktown was replaying part of her memories: her childhood days. They were filled with great adventures with her younger sisters, especially the night when the stargazing took place. And as if by a miracle, the outside was filled with stars, further bringing back that moment. To her, though, it was a double-edged sword as it also brought her some pain.

After she openly revealed her identity as a shipgirl, the surviving Osean sailors asked her many questions - from her rigging to the way her planes were stored. They were too much for her to handle, so much so that she wished that the Sirens would not have come to the new world and bring with them trouble to the inhabitants. It was the reason why she put herself outside to calm down.

As she pressed onto the railing, a sigh was made.

 _"I wonder what Enterprise and Hornet are doing right now. I hope they are doing well back there..."_ She quietly thought, hoping that they do not suffer the same fate that befell her.

"There you are." A voice called out to her. It was from Steuben, and his expression was that of regret.

"Captain?"

"I was worried about you. I'm sorry if my men here are curious. No one has ever seen a 'shipgirl' like you before." An apology was offered.

"It's okay, sir. That's just curiosity."

He then noticed the stars outside, bringing him some gentle enjoyment. "Guess the heavens has offered us something nice for a change."

"Indeed." The topic of stars opened up a memory of Yorktown's past. "A few years ago, me and my sisters stared at the stars as beautiful as this. Countless stars, even my younger sister Enterprise asked if I could count them."

"Speaking of which, I never fully inquired about your sisters." Steuben remembered. "How many siblings did you have?"

"We're three siblings, and I'm the oldest. Enterprise is the second, and Hornet is the youngest. Both of us are shipgirls - carriers of the Yorktown-class. I even had a destroyer shipgirl who likened me to an older sister as if we are related. Her name's Hammann." A description was made. The captain felt some of Yorktown's pain, knowing it was like that when she was separated from her allies, possibly forever considering where she was now. "That night, we made a promise to each other: we have each other's backs, no matter where we go."

Hearing these words, Steuben felt moved. A warm smile was given. "Yorktown, if your sisters were here, they would be proud of what you did today. I can assure you that."

A small tear came from her left eye. "...Thanks, sir."

For the entire duration, the winds retained their constant temperature. While it was perfect for enjoying the night after the proverbial storm, Steuben had other thoughts. "Now, mind if I get you something hot to drink? It's getting a bit cold out here."

"I would love to." Yorktown happily accepted. Steuben left to get some for her and himself.

The shipgirl continued with the stargazing. Almost immediately, something else came into her mind: the pilot who protected her from the Siren fighter that tried to land a fatal blow. He left alongside the remaining Osean aircraft, likely to head for the nearest airbase before their fuel tanks could run dry. While the plane was briefly loitering above her, Yorktown noticed a feature that would help her identify which squadron was it assigned to. It had an emblem depicting a reaper and its scythe on the tail.

Based on these details, that plane would easily belong to the Reaper Squadron. Yorktown wondered how they were doing since the battle.

 **(February 17, 2027)**

"All hands, proceed to battlestations! Unknown vessel ahead!" The loudspeaker broadcasted an unexpected announcement.

The situation in the OFS _Hornet_ 's bridge became tense just as the day started to spring up. A single unidentified vessel was spotted approaching the 5th Fleet from the northeast. Whether or not it was a Siren or some random ship that happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time remained to be seen. In the meantime, the Oseans held their restraint and carefully plotted their next course of action.

For the next few minutes, various frequencies were utilized in an attempt to establish communication with the unknown vessel. Steuben kept both eyes and ears on standby for any sudden changes.

"Attention, unidentified vessel, this is the OFS Hornet of the Osean Maritime Defense Force. You are approaching the vicinity of the Osean 5th-"

"Who is this?!" A cute and childish female voice responded. "How are you able to contact Hammann? And where is big sister Hornet?"

Everyone within the bridge felt stumped. Even the radioman had a hard time formulating a response.

"Uh… ma'am, this is the Osean anti-air cruiser Hornet. Please, calm down so that-" He talked more slowly in an effort for the responder to understand better.

"'Osean anti-air cruiser?'" She became just as stumped upon fully hearing the identity of the vessel. Her voice calmed down somewhat for a brief moment before returning to her more threatening posture. "What exactly are you? What nation do you come from? If you are not our ally, the great Hammann will destroy you all!"

"Hammann? Hammann, Hammann..." Steuben repeatedly uttered the name. Then, something dawned upon him: he started to suspect that 'Hammann' was the shipgirl Yorktown mentioned from before. "Wait… Yorktown's little sister..."

"Uh, Captain Steuben, is something wrong?" Liam Chung, the commander for the _Hornet_ , felt confused.

"I think we may have found another shipgirl like Yorktown."

"Sir, how do think so?" An officer asked.

"Yorktown told me about 'Hammann' last night, said that she is like a little sister to her. She might be looking for Yorktown." The bridge felt into a state of surprise.

"Sir, requesting permission to speak." Another appealed for a say.

"Go ahead."

"I'm getting a bad feeling about this one. After what happened, I'm not exactly certain if the person is in league with those 'Sirens'." He expressed his worry. "This could be a trap."

With the image of the mysterious girl from yesterday reappearing, Steuben had to be very careful. "I understand that, Suzuki. Thanks for the reminder."

"So, Captain, what should we do now?" Chung suggested.

The captain took a moment to think on an idea. Accordingly, he got one. "Fischer, I need Yorktown here right away."

"Yes, sir." A third officer complied and left the bridge.

"Barnes, I'll take the radio from here." He requested the radioman.

"Roger, sir." He vacated the spot.

Steuben took control of the radio to begin his contact with Hammann. "Ma'am, this is Captain Theodore Steuben, commander of the Osean 5th Fleet. Please identify yourself."

"This is the USS Hammann, destroyer of the Eagle Union. I would like to ask where do you come from and what are your intentions." The girl responded with her identity.

"We are from the Osean Federation. We have no intention of attacking you."

"'Osean Federation…' Hold up, I never heard of a country called the 'Osean Federation.' Where exactly am I?"

"Ma'am, listen carefully: I know that you are wondering where you are right now, but we are willing to help if you request. Await further instructions. If your are confirmed to be part of the Sirens, you will be fired upon. How copy?"

One more brief moment of silence came from Hammann as if she was carefully weighing her options. "Alright. But if you are not honoring your part, I will destroy you."

"Affirmative." And with that, Steuben began preparations.

For the concerned, they prayed that the outcome would be positive and free of combat.

 **XXXXXXX**

Under the watchful eyes of Steuben and the Oseans, Yorktown prepared her rigging before setting off for the water as she awaited for Hammann. Though she could not hold much of her excitement, she was warned about the potential for backstabbing. The winds picked up a little more punch, making her hair fly in a dance-like rhythm.

A figure approached the vicinity of the fleet. When it was spotted, a familiar character was revealed. Her petite frame, her white hair, her maid-like outfit, her destroyer gun and torpedoes, and the most distinct feature of her, the cat ears. It was the one and only Hammann - one of the _Sims_ -class of destroyers.

"Big sister Yorktown...?" It was the first thing Hammann uttered to Yorktown upon seeing her figure. Tears slowly began to form around her eyes.

"Hammann…" The carrier shipgirl did the same as she began to slowly approach her.

When the two got close enough, they were in clear view to each other. They could not hold their suprise any longer.

"Is that… really you?" The little girl asked one more time, hoping that her eyes were not deceiving her.

The elder shipgirl nodded. "Yes, Hammann. It's really me."

The destroyer's eyes watered even more. Her sniffling intensified. Hammann could no longer hold back her emotions any longer.

"Big sister Yorktown!"

In an instant, she dashed into the arms of the carrier shipgirl. Hammann started crying while burying her face within Yorktown's warm and soft body. The silver-haired girl gave gentle strokes on the destroyer, assuring her that she would stay by her side in the new world.

"It's okay, Hammann. I'm here now, don't worry." Yorktown uttered comforting words.

"...I thought that everything around me was gone forever… even you." Hammann sniffed.

"Me, too. I felt the same way."

Hammann backed away slightly after regaining some parts of herself. "What should we do now, big sister? I came here because the Oseans are offering help."

"Hammann, those ships behind me are the Oseans. They were kind enough to help me when I was drifting alone in the waves." Yorktown pointed at the ships, which were unfamiliar to the little destroyer.

"I'm glad to hear that." The two girls began the trip back to the fleet.

Once Hammann got closer, she could see things that were new to her. The designs of the ships were different, yet they featured elements found in their world's navies. The other thing to notice was the flag, a white-over-blue design with stars in the foreground.

"They look so… weird yet so familiar." Hammann commented.

"I was told what they are and what they are capable of. Trust me, their weapons are not much different than our own, but they do have more advanced ones with them."

Awaiting on the port side of the _Hornet_ was Steuben and three of his men. He could feel a sense of joy, seeing that the two girls were finally reunited. And when they approached the ship, a ladder was lowered down for entry.

"Welcome aboard the Hornet, Ms Hammann." He offered his warm greeting.

"Oh, it's an honor to meet you, sir." The destroyer responded. "And I thank you for helping out big sister Yorktown in times of her need."

"My pleasure. I'm Captain Theodore Steuben, commander of the Osean 5th Fleet." He gave out the introduction. "Yorktown told me about you and your world."

"And what was going on there."

"Correct. The existence of shipgirls, a war between the 'Azur Lane' and the 'Crimson Axis', how these two were once together to face a common enemy... and then the Sirens. I couldn't exactly fathom about it until the latter came and attacked our fleet."

Hamman was surprised by what the captain said about the Sirens. "The Sirens attacked your fleet?"

"Yes, Hammann. We've lost a few ships, including our aircraft carrier - the Altair. Yorktown is our only source of available air support right now, but I'm not sure if that's sufficient enough considering that her planes are all propeller-powered. The Sirens seemed to employ jets."

"'Jets'?"

"Faster than all of my planes. And they have the ability to fly past the speed of sound." Yorktown stepped in to answer. "The Oseans have them, and so was the Altair. Thankfully, a good portion of her planes escaped the sinking and are currently heading north, the same direction we are taking."

For the destroyer, she was surprised. "I'm sorry for your loss, Captain. If I may, Hammann and Yorktown would like to help you out in your effort to fight against the Sirens."

"Permission granted, but for now, you need some rest. You must be tired from all the sailing." The captain turned to one of his men. "Fischer, please guide Hammann to the workshop and then the berthing compartments."

"Right away, sir." The man complied and turned to the two shipgirls. "Follow me, you two."

"By the way, we will call you two on an as-needed basis. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." Hammann responded.

"Alright. Dismissed." Steuben cleared the girls to proceed.

Hammann held on to Yorktown's left hand as they began to head to the ship's interior. The moment the group went inside, Hammann, like Yorktown before her, was curious at what was inside. Unfortunately for her, her appearance had attracted the attention of some sailors, particularly with her cat ears and maid outfit. Quiet conversations were even started in regards to that.

"Big sister Yorktown, those sailors are looking at me." The destroyer worriedly asked.

"I'll protect you. Just stay close." Yorktown assured.

"By the way, do you have any idea where the ship's going?"

"The captain told me that we are heading for a city called Selatapura… if I'm pronouncing it right. I also heard that they have a landmark called the International Space Elevator."

"An elevator to space?" Hammann could not believe it. "The people here must be very crazy with their ideas."

"Maybe. I read a lot about their technology. They are already in the process of exploring other worlds."

Once their riggings were unequipped, they were guided to the berthing compartments. Fischer stopped at the entrance.

"Miss Yorktown, I leave the rest to you." He said.

"Thank you very much." Yorktown replied. The officer gave the nod before taking his leave.

The two proceeded to do a short navigation around the compartment. It did not take long before they approached Yorktown's bed and the vacant one below her.

"Well, here's my bed. The one below is vacant."

The destroyer took a seat on the bed. It was the first time in a while that she felt comfortable since Midway.

"Big sister Yorktown…?" Hammann shyly asked.

"Hmmm…?"

"I… I don't know how to say. When first I woke up here, it was just open water. I wondered endlessly and endlessly, hoping that something happens. I tried using the radio, but no one answered back. When I saw what looks like to be an aircraft approaching above me, I opened fire out of instict." The destroyer opened up about her experience.

"Did you manage to shoot it down?" Yorktown asked.

"Didn't look like I got close to hitting. Before I knew it, I was slowly heading to despair. Until the Hornet… the Oseans opened contact with me." Tears began to slowly form. "And this is where I found you. I couldn't believe that we are finally reunited in a world unlike ours."

Hammann began sniffing again. Yorktown instinctly offered hugs and a gentle stroke on the back.

"After today, do you think we could make it?"

The carrier could not offer a definitive answer even with the support of the world's technological advances. "I'm not so sure. But let's hope that we could because we need all the help we could get."

Despite those words, Hammann felt reassured. "Big sister Yorktown..."


	8. Chapter 7 - The Girl and the Dragon

**(Southwest of Tyler Island - February 16, 2027)**

Exhausted, confused, and without a home to return to… That was the situation the Reaper Squadron was in.

With the loss of the _Altair_ , they were redirected to Tyler Island to land their planes there. Combined with the botched operation at Gnome Ravine and the defense of what was left of the 5th Fleet, it resulted in a very long flight. Even thier bodies took a toll from all the numerous maneuvers they performed just to perform their duty and to stay alive.

Another thing that bothered their minds since the defense was Yorktown. Once a girl who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, she showed her hidden and unworldy depths in fighting using the ship-inspired rigging she wore and her propeller planes which were surprisingly on par with the mysterious enemies. At the very least air cover was available for the survivors of the 5th Fleet, though the capabilities of Yorktown was not yet fully realized. Even the lack of missile defenses put a dent on her credibility.

All the Reapers and the fleet could hope for was that nothing bad would happen to both of them again and that they could be on solid ground.

With the coming of the night, the island was surrounded by pockets of clouds. The forecast mentioned that the weather would be fair for a few hours before a rainshower would replace it. Based on estimates, the Reapers would have more than ample time left for a gentle approach once they arrive at the local airspace.

"Reaper 2, begin landing checks. You are cleared to land on runway 35 R. Windspeed's 42 degrees at 2 knots." The air traffic controller of the base cleared Ben for the attempt.

"Reaper 2, wilco."

One by one, the Reapers landed. Ben made some very minor corrections on his approach when slight turbulence were picked up during his turn. Upon touchdown, they taxiied to the base's apron beside the main complex, a blessing for their tired legs. After they made their full stops, their engines and other systems were turned off.

Ben sighed after completing his post-flight checks. His canopy was opened to bring in the cool breeze of the island. A ladder was sent to aid him in getting down and out of his plane. He took off his helmet and mask.

"Welcome to Tyler Island, sir." An attending ground crewman greeted. He extended his right arm and hand to the pilot, offering him assistance.

"Thanks." Ben responded. He got out of his cockpit, and almost immediately his legs began to restrict him with some soreness. He collapsed a bit. "Mngh."

The crewman immediately stepped in. "Easy, just take it slow. Are you still alright?"

"I'm still good."

After a brief recovery, Ben started checking his aircraft for any signs of damage. During the battle, some shrapnel from the downed enemies touched his plane, and he did not want that to plague his machine with undetected problems. He would be reporting to maintanance control to have them identified and to have his hours logged. Following that would be debriefing.

 **XXXXXXX**

With their reports filled, the squadron were at the mess hall to eat some hot meals. After getting their food, they were searching for an available spot. It did not take long to find on, and as a bonus, it was located conveniently near a television. There were some people watching something and talking about it.

When they got close, Ben recognized the program quite quickly. It was a replay of a grand touring car championship race held at Expo City, on the eastern side of Usea. What was more interesting was that it was the first round, the part where auto manufacturers would show off their brand new machines and improvements of older models. That was where the potential of the cars would be gauged for the foreseeable future.

"Guys, I'll check out the race." Ben informed his wingmen.

"Go ahead." Motier agreed.

"Thanks, sir."

On the screen, a battle for third place was intensifying as the #76 Terrazi Gaia, a hybrid sports car, was pursuing the #1 Assoluto Fatalita, the legend within motorsports. The former continued to put pressure on the latter constantly. Three more cars behind the two racers were in pursuit.

Finally, before the eighth corner, the Gaia turned left to the inside. It braked hard, sending the car past the silver Fatalita, before asserting its new position with the left turn and application of the gas pedal. No doubt that it was a great move.

"Damn, Yazaki did good on that corner." Elize came forward, surprising her wingman.

"I never know you are into racing, Elize." Ben responded. A talk about auto racing began.

"Actually, it was a long time since I saw a race with my own eyes. 15 years ago, dad brought us to the Griswall Grand Prix to watch it. He's quite a car nut, had more preference to open-wheelers." She reminisced.

"Does he have a favorite?"

"Quite a bit hard to choose from. One team that attracted him the most was Âge."

"Those guys… Heard that they are getting their mojo back recently after last year's race in San Loma."

"Really? What place were they at the end of the race?"

"Their driver, Olivier Bertz, got first place under the #5 car. Fought tooth and nail to get there."

The result pleased Elize. "Amazing."

The moment was interrupted when one of the cameras changed feeds. A crash at turn two rendered the #16 Gnade Esperanza race car unable to continue any further.

"Oh, Clarkson just took a kiss to the wall! Oh, my God! Clarkson's out! This is not going to bode well for Team Valkyrie..." The commentator was shocked by the scene as a yellow flag was raised, signaling the remaining competitors to slow down and preventing them from doing any overtakes outside of slow-moving cars.

It was disappointment for the fans. A promising driver had his chance of glory be snatched away by something out of his control. Elize felt the same but for a different reason.

"I just wish Yorktown would be here with us..."

 **XXXXXXX**

As the sun was beginning to slowly descend, Hiryuu was heading in the direction where the ruins of the mysterious fortress was located, hoping to find some answers.

After hours of uninterrupted cruising, she spotted something in the distance.

"A ship?" She uttered. It looked like a vessel of some kind, but with an indistinguishable silhouette Hiryuu had no concrete idea what type it was.

All of her planes were at the ready for immediate combat should things head south. Taking advantage of the thick cloud cover above, she sent one Zero to perform a recon mission. It rose up before disappering within them.

After a few minutes, the plane got close enough to the vessel. It looked like a white cruise ship. What caught Hiryuu's eye was the vessel's design - it looked larger and sleeker. Even more interesting were the smokestacks; only two of them were found near the stern of the vessel - sitting side by side - and they were not emitting as much smoke as most ships she saw in her lifetime.

"That doesn't look like any ship I saw before." She thought.

As the ship was heading in the same general direction as her, Hiryuu was having a hard time deciding on what to do next. Would she check it out or ignore and continue to proceed to the fortress?

It took a long moment for her to pick the former. As a precaution, two more Zeroes were lauched to act as lookouts. She began to give chase.

When she got close, she was awed to the core.

"Damn…"

What the plane saw was correct. She tried as much as she can to free herself from the gaze. The "cruise ship", to her, seemed to surpass what was possible, even the famous _Titanic_ of Royal fame. There was even a colorful design painted on the sides.

Carefully, she aligned herself to the ship's stern while keeping herself away from the waves of the wake. As she got closer, she noticed bold red writing on the back.

"Dragon Spirit..." She uttered the ship's name.

She quickly dashed to the side and hugged close to the ship's hull to try shielding herself from prying eyes. There, Hiryuu could feel the sense of the size and the design - one evoking the feeling of the culture and myths of the Dragon Empery thanks to the inclusion of dragons and classic architecture. While doing so, she moved to the bow of the ship where the _Dragon Spirit_ was painted in the same red color.

Overall, Hiryuu felt impressed. Even if she did not get the chance to see what was inside, she thought that it would be natural to provide luxurious amenities for a ship that size. With that said and done, she could finally resume her journey to the fortress.

Then, in the distance, something was glowing in front of her and the ship.

"What the…?" A dimensional rift was forming. Based on the appearance, she quickly thought of one thing. "Sirens…?"

Appearing before her and the _Dragon Spirit_ was a small Siren fleet - consisting of two destroyers and a light cruiser. Accompanying them were their "Explorer"-type shipgirls. Hiryuu began to open communications with them.

"This is Hiryuu of the Sakura Empire's Second Carrier Division, please respond." She gave the first transmission. Much to her surprise, no response was given.

Then, an explosion erupted close to the carrier girl. A splash of water showered her before she started doing evasive maneuvers.

"Gah! What are you doing?! Cease fire immediately!" She demanded. More shells were fired upon Hiryuu, and the two Siren shipgirls were closing in on her. "Please respond! Cease fire!"

Another round exploded, this time much closer than before.

"Agh!"

At this point, this act shot down any chances for peaceful talks. Worse, the _Dragon Spirit_ was heading into the line of fire. The shipgirl began to make her move.

 _"Fine… so be it…"_ Quickly, Hiryuu started flinging out all of her available cards into the air. They then transformed into planes. The two Zeroes that were acting as lookouts were quickly recalled to join the battle "All planes, attack the enemy fleet! Protect the cruise ship!"

The order was given. Almost the entire complent - consisting of A6M Zero fighters, D3A Val dive bombers, and B5N Kates torpedo bombers - were heading for the rift and the fleet.

Before long, the Sirens opened AA fire. Their lone cruiser deployed its complement of two fighters as a means of air cover. Once the bombers were above the fleet, the Vals begin their bombing run with a dive. The Zeroes, for their part began to engage the two fighters. After getting their angles adjusted, the Vals dropped their payload of bombs.

The two Siren destroyers erupted in big fireballs while the light cruiser was barely holding on. The nearby Zeroes, however, made quick work on the fighters. One Val dropped its payload. The cruiser was easily put out of its misery.

With that out of the way, attention was focused on the Siren shipgirls pursuing Hiryuu. She went northwest as she focused on keeping the fighting away from the cruise ship. After almost two minutes, a flight of her Zeroes and bombers arrived to finish off the Explorers. They broke off to try evading, but they were caught within range of the planes' machine guns and cannons. They were riddled with bullet after bullet, affecting them significantly.

Then, the bombs were dropped. Two explosions engulfed the Explorers.

Hiryuu turned around to see the aftermath. All she could see were the carcasses and the sinking ships. The rift that heralded their arrival slowly dissapeared shortly after, signaling the conclusion of the brief battle.

"Hmph… serves you right." She chided them for their actions.

The planes returned and slowly transformed back into cards one by one. Hiryuu turned her attention to the _Dragon Spirit_ , hoping that no stray round hit the ship.

When she got closer to the ship's bow, there were people waiting and focusing on her.

"You there, hey!" One person called out to Hiryuu.

"Yeah?" She quickly responded.

"You're the one who took on those ships?"

"Yes, I am!"

"Thanks for saving us! We couldn't have made it without your arrival." Another one, this time a black-haired man wearing a white polo shirt expressed his gratitude.

The shipgirl nodded in reply. "Any stray round that hit your ship?"

"Nah, we're good." He confirmed. It was the answer she hoped for. "By the way, you're a shipgirl, correct?"

"Yeah…?" Hiryuu felt a bit confused. Shipgirls were supposed to be common, so seeing someone who saw one for the first time puzzled her.

"YASSSS!" The young man bursted with energy. His behaviour attracted the attention of his fellow crew and passengers. "Oh man, a real shipgirl right in front of my eyes!"

"What are you shouting about?" A passenger asked.

"Guardian Blue." An answer came from another person. "It's a mobile game about shipgirls like her. We both play it together. Of course, he would get excited to see one in person."

"I see..." He took a turn to look below the bow. There, he could see the shipgirl in front of his own eyes.

While this was going on, Hiryuu began to wonder. If the Sirens were supposed to help the Crimson Axis, why did they decide to open fire on her so suddenly?

Then, Hiryuu's body felt some pain within her head and body. "Mngh!"

"Hey guys, that girl's in trouble!" A witness shouted in distress. The chatter broke and rushed to see the girl, but confusion came as they saw hed backing away from the ship. "Are you… Uh, what are you doing?"

"I'm coming aboard!"

After backing up a few meters, she made a dash towards the ship. Hiryuu mustered much of her energy to perform one big jump to the bow. The people were stunned by this inhuman move even before she landed safely. A collective "Whoah!" was uttered.

"This is unreal." A passenger with the floral polo shirt commented. Not only were everyone surrounding the panting Hiryuu were awed by her appearance and rigging, but also her bunny ears.

"Is she some sort of bunny/human hybrid?" Another asked.

For the shipgirl, she had no idea what to do. Most of the people she saw looked western, yet she could not distinguish between those from either the Eagles, Royals or even the Ironbloods. With the exception of any animal features, the black-haired worker looked like he came from the Sakura Empire. Both of them wore clothing that were mostly unfamiliar to her.

"Unngh!" Suddenly, she collapsed to her knees. Before she could fall further, the first worker quickly and his friend came to help. Everyone were in shock.

"Hey!" He responded. "You okay?"

"I… I don't know..." She struggled with her speech.

"Stay with us, we can help." The wokers lifted her up and began to carry her somewhere. "Back away, back away! This is an emergency...!"

"Ugh…" With a groan, she slowly closed her eyes under the workers' watch. Everything drifted away.

 **XXXXXXX**

"Mnngh..."

Hiryuu opened her eyes, and almost immediately she saw herself in a small room. Much of it was colored white, a rack was positioned on her left, and there were some bottles and various other essentials on top and within cabinets. Based on those items, it appeared that Hiryuu was in a medical ward.

She went up and positioned herself near a unique triple porthole to get a look at the sea. It was close to dusk - calm skies complemented the gentle current of the waters, offering her a beautiful scenery. It reminded the shipgirl of home just before the war called out to her.

Suddenly, a door was opened. Hiryuu turned towards it, only to see a middle-aged, blonde woman wearing navy-blue clothing.

"Oh, you're awake." She felt surprised before coming closer. "Are you feeling alright? Nothing else bothering you?"

Hiryuu hesitated for a moment to check on herself. "I… I don't know… I didn't eat and drink in a while."

"I see." The woman quietly responded. "I'll get you something."

"Thank you." Before the woman could start leaving the room, a question was popped up. "Excuse me, but where am I?"

"In the Dragon Spirit's sick bay for recovery."

"And you must be the nurse here? You don't look like one."

"Yes, ma'am."

The shipgirl was surprised. At the very least, she was within the ship where help was available. She calmed down a bit. "Anyway, sorry to bother."

"That's okay. Just rest." The woman left the room to fetch some liquids.

While waiting, Hiryuu took her time to contemplate about what happened early on. Some pain came back, but it was much milder than before.

After a while, the door opened. The nurse brought in a tray with various items: a cup of water, a tablet, and a wrapped-up bar under the name "Lakeshore". The second item was dropped onto the cup. It started to slowly disintegrate, turning the water orange.

"Here, eat a bit of this bar before drinking. Take it slowly." The nurse advised.

Hiryuu was puzzled by what she was seeing in front of here. She took a hold on the bar. "What is this?"

"A granola bar and an electrolyte drink. It will help in the recovery process." The older-looking woman answered as the shipgirl looked at the wrapping.

Hiryuu read much of the labels, including "oatmeal and raisins" and "organic". After that, she opened up the wrapping to reveal the bar itself. As advertised, it had oatmeal grains and some chunky raisins to add some taste.

She took a small bite, slowly chewing to get a feel on the flavor and texture of the compact food. Almost immediately, she felt a sense of ease and satisfaction for every chew. The chunks of the bar were swallowed before the electrolyte-infused water was taken to wash away part of her thirst and some of the grains that remained within her mouth. Surprisingly the taste was relaxing and fruity, partly resembling that of the Eagle Union's cola products. This was thanks to a small hint of citrus.

"They are quite good." Hiryuu commented.

"Glad to hear that." The nurse let out a slight smile. "Once you are fully recovered, we will escort you to the captain. He would like to say thank you for what you did today."

"I appreciate it. Tell everyone here that I say the same."

"I will, ma'am." She paused for a moment to form one more question. "Excuse me, are those... 'bunny ears' real?"

"Yeah…?"

"Maybe I shouldn't have asked. Sorry, ma'am." An apology was hastily aired.

 **XXXXXXX**

Two hours had passed.

After Hiryuu finished with the granola bar and drink, the door was knocked. "Excuse me, ma'am."

The door was opened. What Hiryuu saw surprised her. "Huh… It's you."

He was one of the two people that brough the shipgirl to the sick bay, the same Sakura-looking man who was on the bow when she came aboard and lost consciousness.

"Guess I'll be helping you get to the captain. Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, way better." The shipgirl positively responded.

"Let's go, then." With that, the two were off to meet the captain of the _Dragon Spirit_.

Before leaving the bay, the nurse from earlier came to see her one more time.

"Before you go, your 'flight deck'..." She pointed at the rigging that they took off from Hiryuu for safety and storage. "You might need it later."

"Thanks." After expressing gratitude, her rigging was equipped. The man could not say anything. "See ya."

The two left the sick bay. From there, Hiryuu instantly regained her curiousity about the ship. Despite the appearance, the hallway retained familiarity with the cruise ships she knew of. It was luxurious-looking, evident by the walls, the matting and the ceiling.

"If I may, I want to say thank you for being there when I collapsed." She expressed gratitude to the man.

"No problem. You were quite amazing back there."

Hiryuu blushed a bit. "Really?"

"That fight didn't fully reveal what you are, but I can tell. By the way, I never got to hear your name."

"I'm Hiryuu." She introduced herself.

"'Hiryuu'..." That's a good name. I'm Andrew… Andrew Asato." He followed with his own.

After a short distance, they arrived at four metal doors placed close to each other. The man pressed a button.

"What are we doing here?"

"Going up. We're taking an elevator."

"Wait, an elevator? In a cruise ship?" Hiryuu's eyes were wide open.

"Yeah."

"Wow." Just after that, the elevator's doors were opened. Much to her surprise, the inside was also furnished in luxury. The red padding, floor carpet, and gold accents greeted her.

The two entered the elevator. Andrew had his eyes on a small, screen-like panel and pressed his index finger onto a part of it. The elevator closed amost immediately and it began ascending. Hiryuu felt it.

Moments in, outside light was reflected onto the door. Hiryuu turned around to see something grand and unexpected.

"No way…"

The interior of the cruise ship was unlike any other before it. It was like a small city and a palace combined, suprassing that of even the _Titanic_. The people added life within the floors.

"That's huge!" She exclaimed.

Andrew chuckled. "That's the main atrium, Hiryuu."

The moment suddenly paused as the elevator stopped. A young-looking passenger with some grey in her hair color boarded. She pressed the panel and the door closed, resuming the journey.

"Excuse me. You're that shipgirl, correct?" The other girl asked.

"Yes." Hiryuu replied.

Amost a moment later, the elevator stopped again.

"We're here." Andrew told Hiryuu before the door opened. "Captain's quarters is just ahead."

Outside, there were five people waiting to board the elevator. They were surprised to see the shipgirl, and they started talking about her.

"Excuse me, official business. Please stand back." Andrew requested the crowd with authority to step aside. "Sir, I would like you to step aside please."

The crowd was one of a few obstacles to overcome. Thankfully they were manageable, and it did not take long for the two to reach the door of the captain's cabin. Andrew knocked on the door of the cabin and awaited a response.

"Come in." An old-sounding voice cleared the two to enter. Andrew and Hiryuu presented themselves.

The inside of the quarters was big and luxurious, befitting the commander of the vessel. High-quality sofas, chairs and tables were there to provide comfort for multiple guests. The windows were covered in curtains for privacy. Ambient lighting covered the room.

"Captain, the shipgirl's here." The young man responded dutifully after closing the door.

The captain was a man who had seen many events throughout his long career. Within the greyed facial hair was a slight smile. His brown eyes was focused the shipgirl.

"You must be the shipgirl that saved us, correct?"

"Correct. I originally approached your vessel because I was caught by her design. It made those I know of be put to shame." Hiryuu admitted.

"Hehehe… You are a curious one." The captain chuckled as he approached Hiryuu. "Anyway, I am Captain Leonardo Velez of the Dragon Spirit. Pleasure to make your acquaintances."

The captain and the shipgirl exchanged hands. "And I'm Hiryuu."

"Hiryuu… okay, then. On behalf of everyone onboard the Dragon Spirit, we express gratitude for defending us." Velez told the shipgirl.

"My pleasure, Captain. I wouldn't have made it this far without your crew's help, Andrew included." Hiryuu exchange the same thing.

"Tell us, what were you doing here in the middle of the sea?"

"I was heading for an abandoned fortress after one of my planes had visual. Until I came here." She began explaining her situation.

"An abandoned fortress… you mean Megalith, correct?" Andrew quickly responded.

"You know that place, Andrew?" Hiryuu was suprised to hear some new information.

"It's an old Erusean installation. My uncle was there when it was blown up to bits."

"'Erusean'..." The shipgirl was confused. "Wait… I never heard of that."

"What do you mean, Hiryuu? You never heard of Erusea?" Velez wondered.

Hiryuu was getting pressured. "Andrew, where do you come from?"

"I'm from Emmeria." He worriedly revealed his origin. "Why?"

She pointed to the captain. "And what about you?"

"I'm from Aurelia..." Velez declared.

"This has to be a dream, this has to be a dream, this has... to be a dream…" She tried to be collected. Her words slowly broke down, and her mind was in the same predicament.

"Hiryuu, we are here to help. Just ask us what you need." The captain came to offer any aid.

"Do you have a map?" She immediately asked.

It took a while for Velez to find something from his desk. "Hiryuu, come here..."

She approached him and was given a map. What she saw, however, shocked her.

"Ah!"

It was a map of the world. Unlike her own, almost everything was distorted. From the land to the sea, there were multiple names written.

"Osea... Yuktobania... Usea…!?" Hiryuu said aloud. Her hands were shaking. "This can't be happening…!"

Before long, she suddenly lost consciousness.

"Hiryuu...!" Andrew shouted in panic as he and Velez rushed in to help.

 **XXXXXXX**

"Hmmmmm…"

Hiryuu opened up her eyes to reveal a warm light. Even though her vision was a bit blurry, she shielded her eyes with her right hand.

Once she was able to clearly see again, she noticed someone waiting.

"Hiryuu." A familiar voice called out to her. It was Andrew, and he was wearing a different outfit comprising of a yellow shirt and blue jeans. "You're awake."

"Andrew…" A quiet response came from her. She rose up to a sitting position. "What happened?"

"Turns out you were from another world since we noticed that you have no idea about Erusea… or the rest of our world. After you lost consciousness, we brought you here to an unoccupied cabin for your sake." He explained the situation. "I'm sorry."

"That's okay. Andrew, thank you… for being here with me."

"You're welcome."

Hiryuu turned her head to see her surroundings. It was not the sick bay; the room she was in was small, but it was bigger and had the amenities of home. There was even an access to the room's balcony outside, where the sky was already dark despite traces of any lingering sunlight.

"So… mind telling me about yourself?" Andrew requested.

And so, Hiryuu began telling him where she came from and what happened prior to her unexpected transport to the world she was in. He asked many questions about herself, the Sakura Empire, the shipgirls, and the war itself. Every answer Andrew got took a short while to process, but eventually he started to understand what was going on. This culminated in the reveal of the Sirens.

"So the 'Sirens'... were responsible for the shit that your world had been through." He asked one more time for confirmation.

"Yeah. Whatever happens, I won't let your world get dragged into this." Hiryuu assured him.

"Thanks, Hiryuu."

On cue, the shipgirl's stomach growled, ruining the mood somewhat. Hiryuu blushed.

"Must be hungry. I'll get us something to eat. Just rest up for a little while. Oh, here's how to open the door from here." Andrew taught her how to open the door. "Got it?"

"I got it."

With the closing of the door, Andrew left the room to fetch dinner. Hiryuu took the chance to look around her cabin and lay her eyes on some unusual items. One of them was an electric kettle based on the black wiring leading outwards. After that, she turned her attention to the thin, rectangular, black screen being hanged onto the wall. It let off a reflection of her.

After several minutes, a gentle knock was audible. "Hiryuu, I'm coming in."

The door was opened. After a few moments, Andrew returned with two green bags carrying food and drinks. What he brought in were two sizeable items wrapped in foil, two orders of fries, and two bottles of water.

"Here, hamburger and fries. I even got some water." He revealed the items to her. As for the hamburger, the foil was unwrapped to reveal the food in all its glory. A food featuring the patty, bacon, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and other condiments - all sandwiched within two toasted and seeded buns - awaited her tastebuds.

Hiryuu and Andrew sat together before they began to eat the burgers. Hiryuu held on to her own while her eyes were fixiated on the food. She took a bite out of it and slowly chewed. Almost immediately, she could taste the juices, spices, and condiments.

It was a big upgrade from what she ate early on. It gave her much-needed calm and comfort.

"How is the taste? Is it good?" The sailor felt a bit nervous.

A smile came from the shipgirl. "Yes. It tastes lovely."

The answer assured him. With that, Hiryuu continued to enjoy a hearty meal.

"Hey, don't forget the fries. Dip it in ketchup."

"Where's the ketchup?" Hiryuu wondered.

"On these packets. Here, I'll open…"

Tomorrow, things would be different…

 **XXXXXXX**

 _A/N: I'm back, everyone! Sorry it took a while to make this chapter. Had a hard time deciding on the next course of action._

 _Anyway, as a lot of people would have known, this year is the 25th (yes, 25th) anniversary of the_ Ace Combat _series and the 1st anniversary of_ Ace Combat 7 _'s release. Congratulations to everyone and the developers for making it this far, and may we commanders and aces fly (and sail) further into the unknown._

 _Good luck, everyone._


	9. Chapter 8 - Opening Act

**(** _ **Dragon Spirit**_ **)**

The next morning, it was a calm yet cloudy day. Although peace continued with its gentle reign, they were still some lingering sense of dread among the passengers and crew, especially with the appearance of the Sirens. For them, Hiryuu's presence assured them of some safety thanks to her readily-available airplanes.

As for the shipgirl, she still had a bit of a hard time adjusting to the new world. Unfamiliar technology, unfamiliar lands, and even unfamiliar cultures - it would take a while for her to know much of them. Fortunately, she had the help of Andrew, Captain Velez and the rest of the crew to make use of.

While people were doing their thing such as walking with their children or doing something else to keep them busy, she had not much to do but wait as she had a meeting with the captain at 10:00 AM to discuss her role in ensuring the safety of the ship and everyone onboard. She bid her time by standing by the railing within the promenade deck and looking at cloud build-up in the distance. It looked like a storm was brewing there.

"Hiryuu… I brought you something." Andrew called her while offering something wet and cold on his left hand. It was a small can featuring shades of yellow and blue covering the sides.

"What is this?" She asked curiously before getting a hold on the can. Upon closer inspection, she started reading the contents.

"It's cola." He answered. "You never heard of one?"

"No. I honestly never heard about it until now."

"Here, I'll open this one." A sudden, metallic crack was heard. Andrew pulled a tab to make a hole into the inside. It was then swapped with the one Hiryuu was holding. "Just drink it from here."

She took a brief look on the hole that he made and placed the top of the can on her lips. Her mouth was flowing with cola. She immediately felt the cold liquid before the taste began to take hold. Andrew opened his own can before drinking.

The drink left a lasting impression on the shipgirl. She liked the drink's caramel-like taste, and the fizz provided character.

"You like it?" Andrew asked.

A nod from Hiryuu was given. He mirthed, and the shipgirl got another gulp.

"That reminds me… you and your uncle know about Megalith, correct? I would like to ask some questions if that's okay with you." A request was made.

"Alright, let me see." Andrew agreed. "More than two decades ago, the Usean continent suffered a devastating war. My uncle was a fighter pilot for ISAF, the Independent State Allied Forces. It's a coalition of nations banded together to respond militarily to Erusea's aggression."

"Why did Erusea declare war on ISAF?"

"It's kinda complicated. Before that war, the continent… no. Actually…" He suddenly cut himself off. His facial expression changed. "What the...?"

Hiryuu felt a bit perplexed. "Andrew, what's going on?"

A finger pointed something far ahead of the ship. "Hiryuu, you might wanna turn around."

The shipgirl turned around. What she saw was unexpected. Her mouth dropped. "Oh, no..."

She was not mistaken. A dimensional rift was forming in front of her eyes.

"Sirens…" She turned to Andrew. "We have to go now."

"Right." He started leading the way as the two rushed to get to the room where the shipgirl's rigging was stored.

An alarm echoed around the ship after just moments.

"This is your captain speaking. This is not a drill! An unknown portal has appeared just ahead of the ship. I repeat - this is NOT a drill! An unknown portal has appeared just ahead of the ship. We may expect a naval battle. All personnel, ensure the safety of everyone on board." The two could recognize the voice: it was Captain Velez. He, too, had took notice of the situation. "Hiryuu, if you are hearing this, we need your help now. Protect the vessel!"

When they reached the room, Hiryuu quickly fitted her rigging. With that done, she took one more look at the rift. A few Siren vessels managed to materialize onto the water. The situation was getting worse by the minute.

"Do you think anyone would come and help?" She raised a question, hoping that help would relieve her.

"Let's hope so." Andrew responded. "Be careful, Hiryuu."

Hiryuu was at the balcony. She took one more look at the young man and nodded at him before focusing on the water below. Without fear, she jumped from the balcony for a drop onto the water. Andrew dashed to see where the shipgirl would end up on. A splash of water dotted the ocean.

When the droplets dissipated, Hiryuu was still standing without any visible signs of injury. The man was relieved.

"Go get 'em!" He cheered on as she moved in to engage.

With eyes on the Sirens, Hiryuu quickly prepared her hanafuda cards for summoning. Almost in an instant, they were thrown up in the air and materialized into fighters and bombers. They were armed and ready to take the fight to the enemy.

"All aircraft, intercept and engage! Don't let them reach the cruise ship!" She shouted the order.

The planes instantly roared to life. The aircraft split into smaller flights to draw out some fire. Hiryuu moved as far away from the _Dragon Spirit_ as she could to do the same. Almost on cue, explosions erupted near her. The Sirens' guns were tracking her.

"C'mon, get me!" She aired a taunt. "That's it!"

Three Siren shipgirls and two of their fighter-bombers were in pursuit of Hiryuu. She opened AA fire onto the the latter, but they dropped their bombs on top of her. Two violent explosions barely missed her.

"Gah!" She shrieked. In response, one of her AA guns scored a hit on the Siren aircraft. Another scored one more hit through the cockpit, severing control. It crashed harmlessly onto the sea.

Two of her Zeroes were on the approach to drop bombs on the Siren shipgirls. They first laid down machine gun and cannon fire unto them. Then, their payloads were dropped. One of them scored a hit on an enemy Siren. The other missed, and the surviving shipgirls opened fire onto the other Zero.

Bullets riddled the now-helpless plane before the fuel tank was ruptured. A fire immediately broke out. The plane dived uncontrollably to the water, and a violent splash spelled the end of the aircraft.

"Dammit!" Hiryuu was taken aback the loss.

The remaining Zero aimed its machine guns and cannons onto the Siren. A short burst was fired onto her. Direct hits were scored but not enough cause significant damage. Hiryuu fired her 12.7-centimeter guns onto the enemy shipgirl. Two rounds scored a hit.

Finally, two Val divebombers arrived. Up until now, they did not dropped any of their payloads. They began their dive towards the two remaining Sirens. The shipgirls opened fire on the bombers, but they pressed on as it took some damage. Moments later, the payloads were released.

Multiple bomb hits exploded to take out the Sirens, removing the enemies pursuing Hiryuu. Her breathing was quite heavy after all the maneuvering she had done.

The same could not be said for her planes. While all of the active Siren forces were wiped out, the rift remained open. Worse, she lost a good percentage of her aircraft. Fearing the arrival of another enemy fleet, she recalled the planes to rearm and refuel.

Unbeknownst to the shipgirl, the Sirens were not the only problems coming her way.

"What do you see?" Hiryuu replied to one of the planes after it saw something coming from the north.

In the distance, four flying objects were closing in at a high rate of speed. They emitted an unusual roar that intensified as it got closer.

Several moments later, they closely flew overhead. Hiryuu was caught off-guard. "What are those?!"

They were not like the Siren fighters. They look like planes, but they have triangular wings, two smaller ones near the cockpits, and no horizontal stabilizers. All of them were painted in a mixture of grey and dark green. Their wings even carried something that resembled rockets of various sizes. The unknown "aircraft" started circling above Hiryuu and her planes like predators stalking on their prey.

Suddenly, they broke off away from the shipgirl. They jettison multiple flares from their fuselages.

"Huh?!" Before she could comprehend what was going on, multiple projectiles were heading for the unknown craft. An explosion hit one of them, sending it on a dive to the ocean. Something was thrown off from the front.

Hiryuu turned to the rift where the smoke trails come from. A squadron of Siren fighters joined the fray and began attacking the three remaining aircraft. Moments later, a girl wearing revealing white clothing came out. Behind her were various mechanical arms and large-caliber cannons for shipgirl standards. Escorting her were two heavy cruiers and three destroyers.

It was an elite "Smasher"-type shipgirl. Even without the escorts, Hiryuu knew she would not stand a chance against her.

Without haste, she prepared her available aircraft one more time. The cards turned back into planes. Their target were the Smasher and the fleet escorting her.

"Target the enemy fleet, but do not attack the unknown aircraft." She gave the order before beginning evasive maneuvers.

The Smasher aimed her guns at Hiryuu. A growing, hissing sound echoed around the enemy as the guns were charging to fire. The bomber planes arrived to try preventing the firing of her weapons. The escorts' anti-air roared to life in response. Despite the bombs and torpedoes started raining upon her, she remained unscathed.

Then, it happened. A large beam of blue light roared towards Hiryuu at a near-instantaneous rate.

"Ah?!" She stopped and made a reverse. The beam missed her by mere inches. Hiryuu wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, but the threat of the Smasher remained active. She even took a brief look at the _Dragon_ _Spirit_ as she was starting to head southeast.

Almost immediately, another unknown aircraft exploded. On cue, the Zeroes joined the fray by opening fire on the nine enemy planes attacking them. Some broke off to defend themselves. It looked like a two-on-one battle was underway. The two remaining unknown aircraft fired two of their projectiles at some of the Siren fighters. Both scored hits on the two enemy aircraft. With that, the Siren's airpower started dwindling.

Amidst this, the Smasher suddenly turned away from Hiryuu and pointed southeast. She began to charge her guns for another firing.

"What is she doing?" It took a moment for Hiryuu to realize what she was trying to do. "Is she going to attack the Dragon Spirit? Oh, crap! All aircraft, attack the Smasher! Hurry!"

The bombers began to focus their fire on the Smasher. The enemy's AA weaponry continued to be relentless. More of her planes were being shot out of the sky. It looked like that a tragedy is inevitable. Hiryuu began to sail towards the enemy in an attempt to draw attention away from the _Dragon Spirit_.

"Dammit, I can't make it!" She was in a panic.

Gunfire exploded around her. A round then hit her.

"Agh!" The force knocked her onto the water. Much of her strength was suddenly taken away from her. She could not get up in time. "Mngh…!"

Then, two projectiles flew above her and towards the enemy Sirens. They exploded in a large fireball. The Smasher took a hit.

"Huh?" Before Hiryuu could comprehend, another pair flew above her. They struck the remaining enemies. Before long, the now-smoking Smasher was the remaining threat still standing. The two unknown aircraft made a pass, likely to do another attack run.

With that, the shipgirl mustered the remaining strength and stood up. She was more than encouraged thanks to the aircraft's actions.

"Finish her off!"

The bombers began their dive. Realizing what was about to happen, the Smasher attempted a retreat back to the rift. Her remaining AA fire did all they could to cover.

BOOM!

Alas, the Vals scored direct hits. The Smasher was the one who was crippled to the water. The AA fire fell silent. Her movement slowed and slowed until all of her strength was gone.

Another explosion erupted. This time it was way larger, and the light was almost as bright as the sun. The Smasher vanished, nowhere to be seen. She was very close to the safety of the rift.

Moments later, the rift closed. The battle was won by Hiryuu and the squadron of unknown aircraft. The former finally sighed in relief and took a look at the _Dragon Spirit_ , happy that they narrowly escaped death a second time. She may be injured thanks to a gun shell, but she was still capable compared to yesterday.

"Hey! Hey!" A loud voice was heard. Hiryuu turned to the direction where it came from. "Over here!"

The shipgirl moved in to the source. When she was close, she was surprised to see a human floating on the water. He was wearing something bulky and dark, decorated by a patch on his left shoulder. Surrounding him was a colored cloud within the water.

"Thank goodness..." He sighed.

"Are you alright?" Hiryuu asked.

"Yeah, I'm good. Thank you for rescuing my squadron." The man expressed his gratitude.

The shipgirl took one more look at the unusual aircraft. "Those 'aircraft' above... they are your squadron?"

A nod was given.

"From what air force?"

"Erusean Royal Air Force, ma'am." The man replied. This caught Hiryuu off-guard.

"'Erusean'. You said 'Erusean', correct?" She requested confirmation. Things began to slowly heat up. "Are you from Erusea?"

"Yes, I'm from Erusea."

The answer confirmed what Andrew told her early on. The man was from a nation which declared war on ISAF more than two decades ago; however, the employee was not able to comprehensively explain to her the root causes of it.

Hiryuu calmed herself down and sighed. "I'm bringing you to the Dragon Spirit for recovery."

"Thank you." The Erusean felt relieved once again.

The shipgirl grabbed hold of the pilot. The latter was quite surprised.

"You're a shipgirl?"

"Yes..." She mumbled in reply.

For a few minutes, there were no further questions. The Erusean's expression became more of mourning.

"Is something wrong?" Hiryuu took notice.

The pilot took a few moments before responding. "The other plane that was shot down by those… enemies. He was my best friend… and he didn't make it."

The girl was touched by his sadness. Had things turn out differently, the entire squadron would had made it out alive.

"I'm sorry…" She tried to comfort.

 **XXXXXXX**

The two finally reached the _Dragon Spirit_. The waiting crew watched as she brought in the Erusean pilot. The staff began attending to his medical needs.

"Alright, let's get you patched up." One of them told the man.

As he was being sent away for recovery, he turned to Hiryuu one more time.

"Wait for a moment, wait!" The staff complied, giving him a moment to say something the shipgirl. "Shipgirl."

"It's Hiryuu." She responded with her name.

"Thanks for everything. I'm grateful." A smile came from the pilot. And with that, he continued on.

Despite this moment, Hiryuu could not fully relax yet. With much of her airpower shot down during the battle, defending everyone aboard the _Dragon Spirit_ would be harder. Her hit from a gun shell even put a strain on her body. The staff came to her aid.

"I copy." Another staff member came foward to her. "Excuse me. Hiryuu, correct?"

"Hmm?"

"The captain will see you shortly. He has something urgent for you." He relayed the message from Captain Velez.

"Understood."

Hiryuu was sent to the sick bay for further examination and recovery. Unlike last time, she was in a different room. What was the same, however, was the nurse who took care of the shipgirl the first time she was brought in.

A knock came. With the door opened, Captain Velez appeared.

"Hiryuu." He spoke. "Are you arlight?"

"I'm alrignt, captain. Took a single shell, but it's not serious."

The captain sighed in relief. "Thank God."

"Captain, you have something urgent for me, correct?" Hiryuu began discussing the topic.

"Correct. Unfortunately, it is not just us that have an encounter with the Sirens." He brought in some unexpected news.

"What do you mean?"

"Multiple rifts have been reported around the world as we speak. Sirens are appearing left and right and are attacking multiple areas."

This brought shock to the shipgirl. "What?! You mean…!"

"Afraid so. The Eruseans are dealing with one at Anchorhead Bay."

One thing was clear: Hiryuu's fears had been realized.

 **(Earlier)**

 **(Tyler Island - February 18, 2027)**

"This is not a drill! I repeat, this is NOT a drill!"

"Get those birds in the sky!"

The moment the notice for an emergency sortie was given, everyone within the base immediately assumed their assigned stations. Multiple aircraft were armed and waiting at the taxiway as they await for their take-off clearance. Behind the scenes, updates regarding the situation kept on coming and not necessarily for the better.

The roars of the F-15E Strike Eagles' twin engines were felt by many as they raced down the two runways and lifted themselves up to the skies. The shock diamonds coming out of the afterburners offered a spectacular sight.

The next planes to take off were the F-35Cs of the Reaper Squadron.

"Reaper 1 to tower, I'm standing by at runway 35 L. Requesting permission for take-off." Motier radioed the tower."

"Tower, this is Reaper 2. I'm standing by at runway 35 R. Requesting take-off clearance." Ben followed.

"Tower to Reaper 1 and Reaper 2, roger. You are cleared for take-off. Godspeed." The tower cleared the two.

"Wilco."

With that and their flaps set, their planes roared to life. Compared to their usual carrier operations, the dash to take-off speed was a bit slow. This did not matter as in a matter of seconds, the planes were rising up towards the blue yet cloudy sky. Their landing gears were retracted.

"This is Reaper 3, I'm at runway 35 L. Requesting permission to take-off." Elize asked.

"Copy, Reaper 3. You have permission to take off. Godspeed." The tower gave her the clearance.

She barrelled through the runway and, with enough speed, took off from the runway.

"Reaper 3, form up with Reaper 1 and 2."

"Reaper 3, roger. Forming up now." The pilot responded. A few short minutes later, the squadron was whole.

With that, the Osean fighter squadrons were on their way west to Anchorhead.


End file.
